The question of Trump’s leadership is seriously put by his potentially disastrous approach to the COVID-19 threat. As his first response, Trump has decided to muzzle all government scientists who may speak openly about threats to the American people. This is to say, Trump has put his re-election interests ahead of the health and welfare of the American people.
Trump knows that the Corona virus threatens his re-election. He and his surrogates have accused Democrats and the media for portraying the situation as scientists perceive it.
A real and present danger exists in the way Trump and his flunkies could completely mismanage the outbreak of the corona virus. By saying that the whole thing is a hoax perpetrated by Democrats, Trump has politicized what should be an apolitical issue. There ought not to exist any daylight between the interests of the public and the actions taken by the administration. However, Trump has gone on record as saying that the Democrats are behind a conspiracy to make the outbreak seem more serious than it is.
Let’s take Trump at his word and think about the meaning of his statements. The Chinese city of Wuhan is a virtual ghost town because of the corona virus. Apple has informed investors that revenues will be affected because of the shut down of factories in China. The Italian city of Milan has virtually shut down for fears of the contagion. Venice is empty of tourists. But all of this is due to either a plot to bring down Trump or an exaggeration.
But, are 3,000 deaths an exaggeration for a virus that spreads as easily as COVID-19 seems to spread? According to epidemiologists, the death rate is around 2%, but it is 49% for those critically ill. Think about it. The Chinese Communist party has everything to lose if it is seen as ineffective in combating the disease, therefore Xi Jinping sees COVID-19 as an existential threat to his rule. The Chinese Communist party can get away with draconian measures, but these are only an indication of how seriously Chinese scientists are taking the threat of COVID-19. The fact that there have only been 3,000 deaths so far is not understood to be minimal, as Trump would have it, but as the spark of a much bigger conflagration. Given what we know about the spread of SARS and MERS, we are only seeing the very beginning of an epidemic that will spread in exponential terms.
So, is all this about Trump? Can we really seriously consider that all of this is an attempt to make Trump look bad? Exactly when will Trump’s followers begin to see that the emperor has no clothes, and that Trump’s efforts will only make matters worse for the United States? Democrats must do everything in their power to avert disaster, even if by doing good they help Trump’s chances of reelection. It would be catastrophic if Trump and the Vichy Republicans are allowed to politicize the response to COVID-19.