Trump, downplaying deaths, once claimed US would never see 100,000 milestone

In just under four months, more than 100,000 Americans are now reported to have died from the novel coronavirus, a grim milestone President Donald Trump once suggested the country would never see.

Roughly a month ago, Trump, at a White House task force briefing, said, "It looks like we'll be at about a 60,000 mark, which is 40,000 less than the lowest number thought of."

A few days later, on April 24, he again sought to highlight a lesser number: "Minimal numbers were going to be 100,000 people. And we're...