Watch: Donald Trump and Reporter Jonathan Swan Go at It in New Axios Interview

A new interview between Axios and President Donald Trump made the rounds on Tuesday and created quite the conversation as Trump was pressed throughout the entire segment about the coronavirus pandemic. The one-on-one interview saw Jonathan Swan push Trump further than most interviewers get the chance to do, asking him to explain much of his answers.

One of the most talked-about clips was when Trump pulled out a few charts and graphs he had at the ready. This action was an attempt to disprove the notion that he has mismanaged the handling of COVID-19. The back-and-forth saw Swan balk at the idea of Trump comparing deaths with positive cases rather than deaths versus the population. Swan compared the situation to South Korea, which has seen just 300 deaths with 50 million people in the country, a figure that Trump questioned.

.@jonathanvswan: “Oh, you’re doing death as a proportion of cases. I’m talking about death as a proportion of population. That’s where the U.S. is really bad. Much worse than South Korea, Germany, etc.”@realdonaldtrump: “You can’t do that.”

Swan: “Why can’t I do that?” pic.twitter.com/MStySfkV39

— Axios (@axios) August 4, 2020

Continuing with the coronavirus, Trump reiterated that the spread is "under control." When Swan mentioned the number of deaths, the president said, "they are dying, that's true," but added that "it is what it is." This was a comment that caught some heat on social media, as many took it that he is brushing off all the lives that have been lost.

Axios :
“1,000 American’s are dying a day.”

Trump :
“It is what it is” pic.twitter.com/G7qjxM9VZh

— Scott Watson (@scottymwatson) August 4, 2020

Another controversy that stemmed from the segment saw Trump belittling John Lewis, a civil rights leader who passed away on July 17. When asked by Swan how Trump believes Lewis' legacy will be remembered, Trump chose to go a different route, instead bringing up how Lewis did not attend his inauguration. Swan attempted to give him a chance to talk about all that Lewis accomplished, asking him if he found his career impressive, but Trump continued to go back to the fact that he did not show up at his inauguration.

Trump tells #AxiosOnHBO that he “can’t say one way or the other” whether John Lewis was impressive.

“He didn’t come to my inauguration.” pic.twitter.com/L0uevhjrG4

— Axios (@axios) August 4, 2020

To watch the full interview between Swan and Trump, viewers can head over to Axios to catch the full sit-down discussion.