All experts warned that the United States would face a pandemic. They happen from time to time. Obama had three of them — H1N1 flu (2009), Ebola (2014) and Zika (2016) — which, unlike some other countries, he handled with minimal disruption and left a Pandemic Playbook, a Pandemic Preparedness Office, inspectors on the ground (including in Wuhan, China) and massive stockpiles of resources.
When the U.S. did get hit with the predictable pandemic, Trump acted like it was a surprise attack. He was completely unprepared. Jealous of his far more qualified predecessor, Trump had previously thrown away the Pandemic Playbook, disbanded Pandemic Preparedness Office and recalled the inspectors on the ground, including those in Wuhan, China which could have given us a big head start.
So what DID Trump do? He played golf. He held rallies. He denied, delayed, dithered, dillied and dallied, promised that it would never get here, and then that it would go away before April and even now says it is fading.
Now Trump has, as Mike Luckovich so effectively demonstrates, simply given up. He is waving the white flag. He has simply stopped talking about the leading health threat in the U.S. today. He is ignoring science. And his total and complete surrender has caused the U.S. to become the world leader in the number of COVID cases and deaths — with 4% of the world’s population, we have more than 25% of the cases and deaths.
All experts warned that the United States would face a pandemic. They happen from time to time. Obama had three of them — H1N1 flu (2009), Ebola (2014) and Zika (2016) — which, unlike some other countries, he handled with minimal disruption and left a Pandemic Playbook, a Pandemic Preparedness Office, inspectors on the ground (including in Wuhan, China) and massive stockpiles of resources.
When the U.S. did get hit with the predictable pandemic, Trump acted like it was a surprise attack. He was completely unprepared. Jealous of his far more qualified predecessor, Trump had previously thrown away the Pandemic Playbook, disbanded Pandemic Preparedness Office and recalled the inspectors on the ground, including those in Wuhan, China which could have given us a big head start.
So what DID Trump do? He played golf. He held rallies. He denied, delayed, dithered, dillied and dallied, promised that it would never get here, and then that it would go away before April and even now says it is fading.
Now Trump has, as Mike Luckovich so effectively demonstrates, simply given up. He is waving the white flag. He has simply stopped talking about the leading health threat in the U.S. today. He is ignoring science. And his total and complete surrender has caused the U.S. to become the world leader in the number of COVID cases and deaths — with 4% of the world’s population, we have more than 25% of the cases and deaths.
Now Trump has just given up altogether.
Donald Trump is the surrender president.