Columbia Doc Predicts Up to 800,000 US Virus Deaths in 2020, Blames ‘Extraordinarily Irresponsible’ Trump for Politicizing Masks

A Columbia University physician and public health expert is issuing a dire prediction for the number of U.S. deaths from the coronavirus in 2020, and he’s blaming President Donald Trump for being “extraordinarily irresponsible” by politicizing mask wearing.

Appearing on The 11th Hour with Brian Williams Wednesday, Dr. Irwin Redlener said that the U.S. is playing “a lethal game of whack-a-mole” by eschewing preventative measures. He asserted, citing Dr. Anthony Fauci, that the actual coronavirus case count in the U.S. is closer to 45 million than the confirmed total of 4.3 million. And he predicted that the number of deaths resulting from the virus will dramatically increase in the final five months of 2020.

“There’s no doubt that this death toll will rise to many hundreds of thousands,” Redlener said. He added, “I wouldn’t be surprised if we reach 800,000 by the end of this year.”

Redlener went on to bash the president for discouraging mask wearing. Trump, only recently, was photographed with a mask, and previously called mask wearing “politically correct” — although he now calls it “patriotic.”

“You don’t need the MAGA hat, everyone knows where you stand if you’re not wearing a face mask,” Redlener said. “This is the responsibility of the President of the United States. And it’s really just extraordinarily irresponsible.”

Watch above, via MSNBC.