By the time the Trump administration had placed travel restrictions on Europe, the importation of the virus and the community spread of the disease had already started in New York City, according to the report. Testing was limited at the start of the epidemic in New York City, which allowed people with undetected cases to spread the virus.
Trump has repeatedly pointed to his travel bans as evidence that his administration has effectively responded to the pandemic, claiming as recently as Tuesday that "we saved millions, potentially millions of lives."