As the Coronavirus outbreak continues to spread and with nearly one-in-three Americans living under a state of emergency, Donald Trump’s failure to prepare our public health systems, his erratic communication, and outright denial about the severity of its spread prove how incapable he is of leading the country during a crisis. Even as millions across the country panic over the coronavirus spread, an out-of-touch Trump found time to hit the links, beg for campaign cash, and even host a lavish party – including a conga line.
“Amid the chaos, Donald Trump is more focused on partying and spinning disastrous economic news than protecting our public health. We are getting a window into what we knew all along: Donald Trump is incompetent and incapable of leading our nation,” said American Bridge Spokesperson Kyle Morse. “The avalanche of negative headlines, a tanking market, and public outcry shows just how shaky Donald Trump’s grip is on the country and the electorate. With Democratic enthusiasm at an all-time high, Trump and his campaign are in for a rude awakening come November.”
Here’s what news outlets across the country are saying:
Politico: Trump’s mismanagement helped fuel coronavirus crisis.“For six weeks behind the scenes, and now increasingly in public, Trump has undermined his administration’s own efforts to fight the coronavirus outbreak — resisting attempts to plan for worst-case scenarios, overturning a public-health plan upon request from political allies and repeating only the warnings that he chose to hear. Members of Congress have grilled top officials like Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar and Centers for Disease Control Director Robert Redfield over the government’s biggest mistake: failing to secure enough testing to head off a coronavirus outbreak in the United States. But many current and former Trump administration officials say the true management failure was Trump’s.” [Politico, 3/7/20]
Washington Post: Squandered time: How the Trump administration lost control of the coronavirus crisis. “Several experts said the United States should have spent more time making sure hospitals and state and local health departments had the money, training, personal protective equipment and resources they needed to respond to outbreaks. But the White House’s messaging in January and well into late February that the virus was contained and under control probably led health-care facilities to be insufficiently prepared, these experts added.” [Washington Post, 3/7/20]
New York Times: Inside Trump Administration, Debate Raged Over What to Tell Public. “But from Mr. Trump’s first comments on the virus in January to rambling remarks at the C.D.C. on Friday, health experts say the administration has struggled to strike an effective balance between encouraging calm, providing key information and leading an assertive response. The confused signals from the Trump administration, they say, left Americans unprepared for a public health crisis and delayed their understanding of a virus that has reached at least 28 states, infected more than 300 people and killed at least 17.” [New York Times, 3/9/20]
CNN: Fissures widen between White House and health agencies over coronavirus. “Fissures between the White House and national health agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, have begun to expand as the coronavirus pandemic spreads to more American states, creating dissonance between President Donald Trump and the professionals tasked with containing the virus further.” [CNN, 3/9/20]
Vox: Trump’s denialist tweets are the coronavirus reaction we feared. “In two Monday morning tweets, President Trump made it painfully obvious that he is in complete and utter denial about the coronavirus threat…For Americans counting on the Trump administration to protect them from the disease, this should be deeply disturbing.” [Vox, 3/9/20]
Slate: Trump Plays Golf While Coronavirus Cases Surge. “Around the world, leaders and health authorities were struggling to try to get a handle on the rapidly spreading coronavirus. But in the United States, President Donald Trump seems to have thought it would be a great time to hit the links with professional baseball players. On Sunday, the commander in chief played golf with current and former Washington Nationals players at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach.” [Slate, 3/9/20] HuffPost: Trump ‘Can’t Bluff His Way Through’ This Crisis, Conservative News Site Says. “Donald Trump is revealing how “deeply unsuited he is to deal with a genuine crisis that he can’t bluff his way through,” according to an editorial published Sunday in the Washington Examiner, a conservative political news site and weekly magazine that often has the president’s back. This time, the Examiner had a serious problem with the president’s deceitful approach to the coronavirus threat.” [HuffPost, 3/9/20]
Published: Mar 9, 2020 | Last Modified: May 16, 2020