Trump Branded "Delusional" After Extraordinary Coronavirus Clash with Reporter

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Critics have rounded on Donald Trump following the release of an interview where the President repeatedly clashes with a journalist and appears desperate to defend his handling of Coronavirus.

In a video released on Tuesday, Trump butts heads with Axios’ Jonathan Swan about Covid-19 statistics and becomes flustered when Swan challenges him about the numbers.

The interview was filmed last Tuesday. Trump presents Swan with printouts that support his argument that the U.S. is doing well in terms of Coronavirus deaths but struggles when asked follow up questions.

Watch the video:

.@jonathanvswan: “Oh, you’re doing death as a proportion of cases. I’m talking about death as a proportion of population. That’s where the U.S. is really bad. Much worse than South Korea, Germany, etc.”@realdonaldtrump: “You can’t do that.”

Swan: “Why can’t I do that?” pic.twitter.com/MStySfkV39

— Axios (@axios) August 4, 2020

“Oh, you’re doing death as a proportion of cases,” Swan says of the charts.

“I’m talking about death as a proportion of population. That’s where the U.S. is really bad. Much worse than South Korea, Germany, etc.”

“You can’t do that,” Trump replies.

“Why can’t I do that?” Swan asks, though Trump never provides and adequate answer.

“You have to go by where… look, here is the United States… You have to go by the cases,” Trump flounders.

The video has been widely shared and the President’s critics have seen it as evidence of his poor handle on the Coronavirus and even a reflection of his mental fitness. It also appears his staff have created charts to support his assertions.

“[T]he president of the United States is not in touch with reality,” CNN White House Correspondent John Harwood tweeted.

The Daily Beast claimed Trump “revealed his Covid delusion” and described the exchange as a “bizarre fight” with Swan.

Follow Darragh Roche on Twitter