Trump was not only warned about the coronavirus in January, but he also blocked measures that would have slowed the spread and saved lives.
Mr. Trump ignored a host of warnings he received around that time from higher-ranking officials, epidemiologists, scientists, biodefense officials, other national security aides, and the news media about the virus’s growing threat. Mr. Trump’s own health secretary had alerted him five days earlier to the potential seriousness of the virus.
By the time of the Jan. 23 intelligence briefing, many government officials were already alarmed by the signs of a crisis in China, where the virus first broke out, and of a world on the brink of disaster. Within days, other national security warnings prompted the Trump administration to restrict travel from China. But the United States lost its chance to more effectively mitigate the coronavirus in the following weeks when Mr. Trump balked at further measures that might have slowed its spread.
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Trump has tried to blame Democrats, Barack Obama, the media, the intelligence community, China, and others for the spread of the virus.
The President refused to consider any national strategies. He refused to declare a national stay at home order. He rejected national social distancing orders, instead only allowing voluntary guidelines to be issued. He refused to order people to wear masks in public. Most importantly, Trump refused to have adequate PPE available, and refused to implement a national extensive testing program for the virus.
Trump has routinely acted in bad faith out of self-interest, and now millions are sick, tens of thousands are dead, and 40 million are unemployed.
He refused to take steps to slow the spread of the virus early, and he is why the US leads the world in coronavirus cases.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
