Coronavirus: Scientific journal slams Trump and says he is in 'denial'

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The editor-in-chief of the journal Science has slammed Donald Trump over his response to the coronavirus pandemic and his overall attitude towards science.

In an opinion piece titled Do us a favour, chemist H. Holden Thorp criticised cuts Mr Trump and his administration have made to science funding and his "distortion" of scientific facts.

Writing about death and transmission rates surrounding the epidemic, Mr Thorp accused the president of being in "denial" when claiming Covid-19 is contained in the US.

"Distortion and denial is dangerous and almost certainly contributed to the federal government's sluggish response," he wrote.

Mr Thorp's comments came after Mr Trump told pharmaceutical executives to "Do me a favour, speed it up, speed it up," concerning developing a coronavirus vaccine.

Anthony Fauci, the leader of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has told the president that a vaccine might take a year and Mr Thorp wrote that it "has to have a fundamental scientific basis. It has to be manufacturable. It has to be safe."

The president's attitude towards science was also brought into question by Mr Thorp, who claimed his administration's cuts to funding have harmed the scientific community.

"The nation has had nearly four years of harming and ignoring science." he wrote.

The chemist also also took aim at Mike Pence, claiming that the vice president is not qualified to tackle the pandemic.

Mr Trump placed Mr Pence in charge of handling the coronavirus pandemic, but Mr Thorp doesn't think his views on science are compatible with the role.

"This is not a time for someone who denies evolution, climate change, and the dangers of smoking to shape the public message."