Supporters mirror Trump's rosy projection of virus infection

CANTON, Ohio (AP) — As an infected President Donald Trump urged Americans not to fear the virus that has killed more than 1 million people worldwide, many of his supporters were already in sync with that message.

In interviews with Republican voters at Trump events and campaign offices, very few saw the president's illness as a cautionary tale. None said they would change their personal approach to masks or distancing, and many expressed a confidence that the disease was less dangerous than advertised.

In Ohio, a “Women for Trump” group gathered indoors — many maskless and not distanced — to pray for the president’s recovery. In Nevada, a Reno businessman dismissed the threat of the pandemic as “overplayed.” Nearby, another Trump backer shrugged off any second thoughts about having cheered at a Trump campaign event last week as part of a maskless crowd.

“I think most of us have reached the realization that, at some point, we’re probably going catch it, and have to deal with it anyway,” Ken Gray, a county commissioner in Sparks, Nevada, said Monday, shortly before the president returned to the White House after three days of treatment for COVID-19 at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

Trump's “don't be afraid” takeaway is infuriating public health experts — who note that basic prevention measures do work contain the spread of the deadly virus. It's also angering family members of those who have died. But for many of Trump's supporters, the president was merely adopting an attitude they expect, and they themselves reflect, when it comes to the pandemic.

They view Trump's infection as almost inevitable. Some were amazed he'd made it this far before getting sick.

“It’s October and he’s just now getting it,” said 18-year-old Taylor Adams, a first-time voter, at the women's...