Since its outbreak, Trump has downplayed the severity of the coronavirus. As early as February, he made statements such as, “When we get into April, in the warmer weather—that has a very negative effect on that [COVID-19], and that type of a virus.” This statement not only revealed his ignorance of the virus, but also his blatant dismissal of its severity, presenting it as something that would simply go away with the weather.
by Haldan Jacobson
One morning, a family of four decides to take a hike into the woods—the air is cool, the forest is silent. Suddenly, a ferocious tiger leaps directly into their path. Rage boils in its eyes, its fangs glisten in the sun, saliva pools below its gaping jaws—the tiger is out to kill. Mom is terrified, the kids are terrified, but the father remains eerily calm. The mother asks the father in a panicked tone, “Why are you not scared!? Can’t you see the tiger in front of us?!” The father calmly replies, “What tiger? What are you talking about?” Then looking at their two kids, the father goes on to say, “Listen here children, you have nothing to fear, there is no tiger.”
Deranged by the absurdity, the frightened mother grabs one child and sprints away. The other child holds tightly onto dad’s hand, trusting him in his judgment. Safe to say, the mother and child who ran survived, while the father and child who stayed were not so fortunate. This is the reality America faces today, except there is no tiger but a pandemic, and there is no father, only Donald J. Trump, with the GOP tightly holding his hand.
Since its outbreak, Trump has downplayed the severity of the coronavirus. As early as February, he made statements such as, “When we get into April, in the warmer weather—that has a very negative effect on that [COVID-19], and that type of a virus.” This statement not only revealed his ignorance of the virus, but also his blatant dismissal of its severity, presenting it as something that would simply go away with the weather.
He was wrong.
He has also touted various unproven medicines to combat the coronavirus, contradicting health experts, medicines like hydroxychloroquine—and I may not need to remind anyone of the bleach incident. However, it would be wrong to say that he was unaware of the danger the coronavirus posed, for in the very same month, two of his allies in the Senate, Richard Burr (R-N.C.) and Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.), sold a million dollars of stock because of fears about it. It is clear, then, that at least some people in Washington were aware of the dangers posed by the coronavirus as early as February. And if that was not evidenced enough, China’s having to shut down the entire city of Wuhan should have been ample warning.
But Trump continued to downplay the coronavirus and refused to lead, even after it had become public knowledge that the virus was a serious threat to the nation. His inaction manifested itself in weak implementation of the Defense Production Act, where Trump, although officially invoking the act did not fully implement it for fear of “nationalizing our businesses.” The Defense Production Act would not “nationalize” business by guaranteeing the purchase of items produced while simultaneously shouldering the costs of shifting production.
Nothing came of its implementation. Trump also claimed that mass testing was widely ready and available—a blatant lie. Governor Larry Hogan (R-Md.) recounts, “the President was all over the place. He avowed, falsely, that ‘anybody’ could get a test, even as my fellow governors were desperately pleading for help on testing.” Little to no testing was being conducted on a federal level, and because of this, Hogan bypassed Trump’s delusion and acted on his own accord, ordering 500,000 test kits directly from South Korea. Hogan’s actions demonstrate an assumption of responsibility and show what it means to lead. Trump should take note.
Larry Hogan, however, is just one example of the governors who have decided to fill the void of leadership left by Washington. Trump’s “every state for themselves” approach has dealt the United States a losing hand with fatal results. The strongest difference that can be observed is that states that had initial surges in coronavirus cases and implemented mass testing and adherence to CDC guidelines have now entered varying stages of recovery. By contrast, states whose governors decided to espouse Trump’s personal beliefs over CDC guidelines now find themselves the nation’s coronavirus hot spots, states like Florida, Texas, and Arizona that rushed to reopen without any of the precautionary measures. Atop all of this, Trump still refuses to issue a national mandatory mask mandate, publicly embrace the CDC’s recommended guidelines, listen to his senior advisors, or push the Federal government to lead on coronavirus testing.
As long as the president and his supporters continue to live in denial about the coronavirus and refuse to understand that “reopen everything” will not magically increase consumer confidence amidst a pandemic, then it looks like the coronavirus and its woes will be with us for the foreseeable future.
One thing that escapes my understanding, however, is that if you were ever furious that four Americans died in Benghazi, then you should be in a volcanic rage over the 140,000 and counting who have died because of Trump’s inaction. Why, when Trump and much of the GOP say, “We must reopen the economy, and that’s worth sacrificing lives!” do so many of us react so mildly? Do we not think of our loved ones when such a statement is made? I get that we must reopen, for, in this country, people’s survival is chained to their ability to work. However, in order to reopen, we must confront and contain the virus as a nation. The administration’s refusal to do this by embracing simple realities will only prolong suffering.
The logical way forward is to implement mass testing and contact tracing, so we can isolate the cases we have and safely reopen, as so many other countries have done. For example, South Korea implemented these strategies immediately, resulting in a steep decrease in cases and deaths. Naysayers will spout the excuse, “Oh, but their population is so much smaller than ours! There’s no way we could do that!” Well, that’s partly true, our population is much larger than that of South Korea, but, in comparison, we are barely trying.
In addition to having a pandemic preparedness plan and regular drills on how to handle outbreaks, South Korea tests at a much higher rate than the United States, even if you take into account the differences in population. The United States tests at a per capita rate of 1,048 per million; South Korea tests at a rate of 6,764 per million—almost six times higher. I would like to think that the nation that put a man on the moon can do better. I know we can do better.
But why should we care about being proactive and taking the necessary safety precautions? After all, it’s my right as an American to do whatever the hell I want whenever the hell I want, right? Pandemic be damned! Well, besides putting the lives of roughly one million Americans at risk, which is unholy irresponsible, not taking the coronavirus seriously will prolong economic recovery, devastating mostly small and locally owned businesses that cannot sustain themselves during the pandemic. The longer the suffering lasts, the more people will be put out of work; and the longer the United States wrestles with the coronavirus, while the rest of the world moves on, the weaker the country’s position becomes abroad.
If people really want to refuse to wear a mask because that’s the hill they want to die on, then I am powerless to stop them. But I implore anyone who has entertained that thought to consider your community. America was built not just on rugged individualism but also on people working together, and I would argue it is the eye on the community, combined with individualism, that has made America so strong. To quote John F. Kennedy, “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.”
Right now, what your country needs is cooperation. If Trump, the GOP, and his supporters continue to downplay the seriousness of the pandemic, and if people refuse to work together as a community and as a nation—well then it seems we are in the tiger’s jaws.
Trump’s inaction towards the coronavirus exceeds mere negligence, crossing over into the cruel. His inability to take leadership beyond symbolic gestures at a time of national crisis is wholly irresponsible; his refusal until recently to wear a mask publicly has proven to be destructively consequential for his followers; and his denial of scientific authorities, as well as his own advisors on matters of which he has little to no understanding, have resulted in disaster for the nation. Many of Trump’s supporters claim they admire him for “telling it like it is.” Let’s be consistent with that philosophy and call Trump’s inaction what it really is, a crime against humanity.
All opinions expressed within the contents of this article reflect the views and values of the author, not Politics NOW.
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