White House press secretary turns tables, asks media about headlines downplaying coronavirus threat

White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany turned the tables Wednesday on the national media during a White House briefing, asking reporters whether they wanted to retract stories the downplaying coronavirus threat.

Her comments came in response to a question about McEnany's February statement that "we will not see diseases like the coronavirus" come to America."

"I was asked a question on Fox Business about the president's travel restrictions," McEnany said. "I noted what was the intent behind those travel restrictions, which is, we will not see the coronavirus come here. We will not see terrorism come here, referring to an earlier set of travel restrictions. I guess I would turn the question back on the media and ask similar questions. Does Vox want to take back that they proclaimed that the coronavirus would not be a deadly pandemic? ... Does The Washington Post likewise want to take back that 'our brains are causing us to exaggerate the threat of the coronavirus'?

McEnany also asked the same question about stories with the headlines below:

• "Get a grip America. The flu is a much bigger threat than coronavirus, for now," from The Washington Post
• "In Europe, Fear Spreads Faster Than the Coronavirus Itself," from The New York Times

• "Worried About Catching The New Coronavirus? In The U.S., Flu Is A Bigger Threat," from NPR

• "Why we should be wary of an aggressive government response to coronavirus," from The Washington Post

"I'll leave you with those questions, and maybe you'll have some answer in a few days," McEnany said before immediately ending the briefing.

Prior to switching to the media question, McEnany was asked about whether all Americans should be tested for the coronavirus, replying that she wanted to "dismiss a myth about testing."

"If we tested every single American in this country at this moment, we'd have to re-test them an hour later, and an hour later after that," she said. "Because at any moment, you could theoretically contract this virus. So the notion that everyone needs to be tested is simply nonsensical. The people who need to need to be tested are vulnerable populations."

McEnany said nursing homes and meat processing facilities in particular needed more extensive coronavirus testing.

"We have to be strategic with our testing, and we have done that so far," she said.