Trailer Released for 'Totally Under Control,' Documentary on Trump's Failed Coronavirus Response, As President Battles COVID-19

Oscar winner Alex Gibney's film debuts on VOD October 13

President Trump has consistently downplayed the seriousness of COVID-19 since the early days of the pandemic. 

"It's gonna be just fine," Trump declared about the coronavirus back in January, a moment captured in the trailer for Alex Gibney's new documentary Totally Under Control. At a later White House appearance, the president commented, "Whatever happens, we're totally prepared."

The statistics belie those comments: more than 200,000 COVID deaths in the United States and more than seven million people infected. Now the president of the United States is among those battling the disease. He was taken by helicopter to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland Friday, experiencing symptoms that are said to include a cough, congestion and fever. The president is expected to remain hospitalized for several days.

The diagnosis and condition of the president is a reality check for the White House that has repeatedly attempted to dismiss concerns about the severity of COVID-19, for instance, urging states to "re-open" even when their infection levels were rising. On Thursday night, in pre-recorded remarks delivered in a video played at the Al Smith Dinner in New York, the president assured the audience, "I just want to say that the end of the pandemic is in sight." 

Totally Under Control will stand as the definitive account of the Trump administration's incompetence, corruption and denial in the face of this global pandemic.

--From a press release announcing the documentary Totally Under Control

Totally Under Control, co-directed by Ophelia Harutyunyan and Suzanne Hillinger, was made in "total secrecy" over the last five months, according to the trailer, based on interviews with "countless scientists, medical professionals, and government officials on the inside" who detail an endless string of missteps, obfuscations and denials that led to catastrophe.

"The truth is that political leaders caused avoidable death and destruction," states one of those medical professionals, Dr. Tom Frieden, former direct of the CDC.

Totally Under Control will be released on VOD platforms on October 13, including iTunes, Amazon, Fandango Now, Google Play/YouTube and for rent or purchase via neonrated.com. It will become available for viewing on Hulu on October 20.

Watch the trailer here: