Trump’s former Homeland Security adviser on COVID-19: ‘We could have saved more lives with a different, faster approach’

President Trump’s former Homeland Security adviser, Tom Bossert, said on Sunday that not enough has been done to fight COVID-19 in the U.S, calling for a coordinated response to the pandemic.

“One thing is very clear: We could have saved more lives with a different, faster approach and what’s important about looking forward, is the same advice about targeted, layered intervention,” Bossert said on ABC’s This Week.” “Early targeted, layered intervention, in addition to masks, is that we know save lives and we have a chance to do it again if we can get all of our counties and communities on a coordinated, same page.”

Bossert, who was Homeland Security adviser for the Trump for one year, was also asked how he felt Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden or Trump would handle the pandemic if they win in November.

“It would be nice if our leadership would be on the same page, it would be nice if both candidates were on the same page for that matter, but they’re not and this is a team sport,” Bossert responded. “At this point what happens in the next four weeks or 10 weeks is going to be up to, you know, 300 plus million people, and they have to change their behavior.”

“One thing is very clear: we could have saved more lives with a different, faster approach ,” former Trump homeland security adviser Tom Bossert says on U.S. response to COVID-19, adding, “targeted, layered intervention, in addition to masks” saves lives. https://t.co/QZVX5tHmnB pic.twitter.com/dGLXrj3KDY

— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) October 25, 2020

In a recent Washington Post interview, Bossert also said Russia and other adversaries to the U.S. remain major election hacking threats. 

“The analysis for the Russians is win-win. They’ll either persuade the U.S. electorate to reelect President Trump, which President Putin views as a positive development for his interests, or they will sully or in some way undermine or discredit the incoming Biden presidency, which is also in Putin’s interests,” he said.

–Updated at 1:21 p.m.