White House says Trump takes landmark of 100,000 virus deaths ‘very seriously’

WASHINGTON, DC -- White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said President Trump takes the number of U.S. deaths from Covid-19 “very seriously” as she defended how long it took him to address the country hitting 100,000 deaths from the virus. 

“The President recognized that landmark before we even hit it,” McEnany said during a press briefing Thursday. “After all, it was the impetus behind him lowering the flags to half-staff. He did that for several days.” 

Pressed about why it took Trump 13 hours to comment on the landmark number of deaths, McEnany said that Trump “takes it very seriously.”

She said the President has called it the “hardest part of his presidency,” and “something no one wanted to see happen.” 

In a tweet Thursday morning, Trump offered his first reaction, calling it a "very sad milestone."

Trump said he extends his "heartfelt sympathy & love for everything that these great people stood for & represent."

The president for months downplayed the coronavirus, comparing it to the flu, and suggested throughout the month of April that the country wouldn't reach 100,000 deaths.

At the same time, in what critics say is a part of an effort to distract from the bad news -- and to highlight his claims that states moving to mail-in voting amid the pandemic will lead to fraud -- Trump signed an executive order Thursday on social media that would make it easier for companies like Twitter, Facebook and Google to be held liable and face lawsuits for the content posted on their platforms.

The move by Trump comes after Twitter fact-checked two of the president's tweets on mail-in ballots.