Trump's most notable quotes on the coronavirus

Washington

After months of playing down its significance, refusing to wear a mask and holding large campaign rallies as the coronavirus spreads across the United States, US President Donald Trump has tested positive for Covid-19.

Here are some of Trump's most notable and colourful statements on the illness.

January 22:  "We have it totally under control. It's one person coming in from China. It's going to be just fine."

February 7:  "It's also more deadly than even your strenuous flu... This is deadly stuff," Trump told Bob Woodward in quotes only released on September 9 ahead of the publication of the veteran US journalist's new book.

February 26: "This is a flu. This is like a flu."

February 27: "It's going to disappear. One day, it's like a miracle -- it will disappear."

March 6:  "I like this stuff. I really get it. People are surprised that I understand it... Every one of these doctors said, 'How do you know so much about this?' Maybe I have a natural ability. Maybe I should have done that instead of running for president." (on scientific research for treatments)

March 11: "The virus will not have a chance against us. No nation is more prepared or more resilient than the United States."

March 14: "I'd rate it a 10," (on his coronavirus response).

March 17: "I've always known this is a real -- this is a pandemic. I felt it was a pandemic long before it was called a pandemic... I've always viewed it as very serious."

March 22: "I'm a little upset with China, I'll be honest with you."

April 3: "I'm feeling good. I just don't want to be doing -- somehow sitting in the Oval Office behind that beautiful Resolute Desk, the great Resolute Desk, I think wearing a face mask as I greet presidents, prime ministers, dictators, kings, queens, I don't know, somehow I don't see it for myself. I just don't. Maybe I'll change my mind."

April 24: "Then I see the disinfectant which knocks it out in a minute. One minute. And is there a way we can do something like that, by injection inside for almost a cleaning? Because you see it gets in the lungs and it does a tremendous number on the lungs, so it'd be interesting to check that."

"So, supposing we hit the body with a tremendous, whether it's ultraviolet or just very powerful light, and I think you said, that hasn't been checked but you're gonna test it. And then I said, supposing it brought the light inside the body, which you can either do either through the skin or some other way."

April 30: "I think that the World Health Organization should be ashamed of themselves, because they're like the public relations agency for China."

May 19: "When we have a lot of cases, I don't look at that as a bad thing, I look at that as, in a certain respect, as being a good thing... Because it means our testing is much better. I view it as a badge of honour, really, it's a badge of honour."

July 28: "I happen to believe in it. I would take it. As you know, I took it for a 14-day period. And as you know, I'm here. I happen to think it works in the early stages." (on hydroxychloroquine)

September 22: "We must hold accountable the nation which unleashed this plague onto the world, China... the Chinese government, and the World Health Organization -- which is virtually controlled by China -- falsely declared that there was no evidence of human-to-human transmission."

October 2: "Tonight, @FLOTUS and I tested positive for COVID-19. We will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately. We will get through this TOGETHER!."