United States President Donald Trump sparked controversy yet again after he revealed that he asked the Covid-19 response team to slow down testing to bring down the whopping tally. He argued that more testing gave rise to unprecedented number of cases being discovered, as per the Reuters report.

The President has also claimed falsely on several occasions that the increase of Covid-19 infected people is due to the aggressive testing model followed in the States.

At his first rally since the outbreak forced nationwide shutdowns in March, Trump told the crowd in Tulsa, Oklahoma that testing was a "double-edged sword."

The US -- which has more deaths and cases than any other country -- has carried out around 27 million coronavirus tests, placing it 26th in the world, per capita, as per the Reuters report.

Trump is pressing for his rallies amidst the global pandemic as the US is going for elections in November 2020, in which Trump is a presumptive presidential candidate representing the Republicans.

"Here is the bad part: When you do testing to that extent, you are going to find more people, you will find more cases," Trump argued.

"So I said 'slow the testing down.' They test and they test," he added.

It was not clear from Trump's tone if he was playing to the crowd, which cheered as he spoke, or if he was being serious.

Coronavirus cases have spiked in several states, including Oklahoma, and local health officials had asked Trump to postpone the rally, fearing it would contribute to the spread.

Six members of an advance team working in Tulsa ahead of the rally were tested positive for Covid-19, the Trump campaign said just hours before the president took the stage, Reuters report added.

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