Trump’s COVID Response: A Preview of Disasters to Come

Julian Zelizer : Based on his past record, Trump should not be anywhere near U.S. government during next national emergency.

Zelizer says a second Trump administration would likely have no “adults in the room” He says even if there are adults in room, even if guardrails hold, having Trump as president would still be dangerous.

Frida Ghitis : Trump claimed that the virus might simply “go away” and that, in any case, it would disappear.

She says he waited until March 11 to limit travel from Europe , not Asia , to limit European travel.

Ghitis says he downplayed the pandemic’s toll and dismissed most cases as “the sniffles” She says the administration deserves credit for the swift development of the COVID vaccine, but there was more political value in trying to persuade people to protect themselves.

Frida Ghitis : Trump failed to strengthen the country’s morale in a national crisis; he actively undermined it.

She says his outrageous, buffoonish, often contradictory rhetoric contributed to a general sense of chaos and uncertainty.

Ghitis says it's easy to look back at the Trump years and declare, “We survived!”—unless you're one of the thousands of Americans whose death from COVID might have been avoided if not for Trump 's mismanagement, demagoguery, selfishness, penchant for conspiracy theories.