Trump claims border wall stopped US being 'inundated' with coronavirus despite 133,000 deaths

President ignores surging cases and deaths in southern states

Donald Trump claimed on Friday, without providing supporting evidence, that the United States would have been "inundated" with coronavirus had his administration not erected over 200 miles of barrier along the US-Mexcio border – ignoring surging cases, hospitalisations and deaths in several border states.

But the United States has seen 133,000 of the 556,000 global deaths from the virus. It also has recorded 3.1m of the 12.3m – or one-fourth – of all confirmed cases worldwide.

The president called what is being erected along the country's southern border "real wall" that one cannot get over. He again said over 200 miles have been constructed since he took office, saying 400 miles should be done soon.

He and his aides have said the barrier is "new," but Democrats contend it merely is replacement barrier for fencing that had been installed years ago.

Mr Trump has tried injecting the border wall issue into his re-election campaign as he continues revamping what so far has been a vapid message to voters about why he deserves a second term.

Asked Thursday night during a telephone interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity to try again articulating his second-term agenda, the president mentioned the border barrier. He also said his second term would be focused on defeating coronavirus as Sun Belt and other states report record-highs for confirmed cases, hospitalisations and deaths.

"First of all, we're going to defeat the invisible enemy, and we are well on our way. And again, I told you, the mortality rate is tenfold down. We're going to rebuild the economy, we're going to bring back jobs from all of these foreign lands that have stolen our jobs on horrible trade deals. We are going to continue to make great trade deals," the president said.

"We're going to finish rebuilding our wall. We're going to finish, we're going to have that – it's going to be almost complete by the end of this year, shortly thereafter it's finished. It's made a tremendous difference," he said. "You see, we're doing record numbers on the border. Very few people are able to get through."