Trump had acknowledged to Woodward over a month before that the recognized COVID-19 was “deadly stuff,” according to CNN — in contrast with the president’s public assertions the virus would “work out fine” and was “very much under control.”

ABC News has not obtained copies of Woodward’s book or the audio recordings and could not independently confirm the reports. The book is titled “Rage” and scheduled to be published next Tuesday.

But less than two weeks later, the president said in a television interview, “I think it’s going to work out fine. I think when we get into April, in the warmer weather, that has a very negative effect on that and that type of a virus. So let’s see what happens, but I think it’s going to work out fine.”

Trump also told Woodward on Feb. 7 that COVID-19 was “more deadly than even your strenuous flu,” according to CNN.

But 19 days later, during a news conference, he said: “This is a flu. This is like a flu.”

White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany insisted at a White House briefing Wednesday the president “never lied to the American public on COVID” but rather “was expressing calm.”

Despite Trump’s saying on the March 19 audio recording obtained by CNN that “I wanted to always play it down” and “I still like playing it down,” McEnany said: “The president never down played the virus. The president expressed calm and he was serious about this.”

The book also contains harsh assessments of Trump’s behavior from some of his top former national security officials, including former Defense Secretary James Mattis, former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson  former director of national intelligence Daniel Coates, according to the reports.

Mattis called Trump “dangerous” and “unfit” and said “the president has no moral compass,” Woodward wrote, according to The Washington Post.