Trump’s coronavirus video reveals how he mishandled issues in February

A campaign-style video President Donald Trump is selling in an try to rewrite the historical past of his coronavirus response by accident reveals the reality — that he didn’t actually do a lot throughout a vital interval in February and early March when the virus was spreading undetected in America, moreover downplaying the menace.

The video, which premiered throughout Monday’s unhinged White White coronavirus process drive briefing and was then posted to Trump’s Twitter account, includes a timeline of what the video refers to because the president’s “DECISIVE ACTION” throughout that interval. However the listing of Trump’s anti-coronavirus actions is way shorter than it’d seem because it ticks by your display screen.

For one factor, Trump had little to do with various the “actions” highlighted within the timeline. For one more, the video consists of various developments which can be actually nothing to brag about, akin to the primary US case being reported on January 20 and the CDC testing debacle that put the US behind the curve in comparison with different nations which have extra efficiently dealt with the coronavirus. And it skips proper from early February to March, thereby revealing Trump didn’t do a lot throughout a interval through which proactive measures may’ve been taken, saving lives and guaranteeing the nation didn’t must observe the kind of drastic social distancing we’re now enduring in a last-ditch effort to gradual the unfold.

Listed below are among the issues talked about within the timeline, adopted briefly by the methods they really illuminate the administration’s failings:

• January 7: The CDC established a Covid-19 response group to trace instances within the US. It’s unclear if Trump had something to do with this — the truth is, in early January, the president was ignoring categorised briefings warning that the coronavirus had the potential to show right into a pandemic.
• January 20: The primary reported case of Covid-19 within the US. This isn’t one thing to brag about, and is one thing Trump downplayed throughout an interview with CNBC two days later, saying, “It’s one particular person coming in from China, and we have now it beneath management. It’s going to be simply high-quality.”

• January 31: President Trump proclaims journey restrictions from China. That is one factor that Trump can take credit score for — however the reality of the matter is the virus was already spreading inside US borders by this time, so at finest, the journey restrictions purchased the federal authorities time that it didn’t use significantly nicely.
• February 6: The CDC ships the primary testing kits. These have been the testing kits that didn’t operate correctly and consequently, gave US officers little visibility into how the virus was spreading — so once more, this isn’t actually one thing to brag about.
• March 2: Pharmaceutical corporations start creating a possible vaccine. It’s unclear why Trump deserves credit score for this.
• March 11: President Trump proclaims journey restrictions from Europe. These restrictions have been applied in such a chaotic method that various airports within the US turned filled with vacationers desperately making an attempt to make their method again from Europe — conditions that in and of themselves created public well being issues.
• March 13: President Trump declares a nationwide emergency. By this level, the virus had already unfold so broadly that the social distancing tips Trump beneficial three days later have been inevitable.

That’s a reasonably underwhelming set of actions. And what the video doesn’t embody are all of the statements Trump made between January and March downplaying the coronavirus — akin to his February 26 remark that “when you may have 15 [coronavirus cases], and the 15 inside a few days goes to be down to shut to zero, that’s a reasonably good job we’ve carried out.” Or his remark the following day that the virus would go away by itself “like a miracle.”

As of April 14, the US now has greater than 587,000 confirmed instances and over 23,500 Covid-19 associated deaths. Now, as an alternative of claiming coronavirus will magically go away, Trump has tried to redefine success as retaining the demise toll beneath 100,000.

Later Monday, the Trump marketing campaign adopted up on the campaign-style video (one which was apparently produced by White House staff) by posting an inventory of Trump’s coronavirus accomplishments together with equally doubtful issues, like Trump mentioning the virus through the State of the Union and him speaking about it with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi throughout a February journey.

However as an alternative of being centered on the coronavirus throughout that India journey, upon his February 26 return, Trump reportedly chastised various authorities officers over the CDC’s February 25 warning that the virus may trigger “extreme” disruption to American life — not as a result of he thought the evaluation was inaccurate, however as a result of it harm the inventory market.

Up is down

Heading into a troublesome reelection contest towards former Vice President Joe Biden, Trump is hoping to show weak point into energy by convincing those that, in contrast to some within the media, he took the coronavirus severely from the start.

The truth, after all, is that Trump was unprepared. He disbanded the White Home’s pandemic preparedness group in 2018, ignored warnings from his prime advisers in January and February that the coronavirus may very well be devastating to the US economic system and kill one million or extra folks, and engaged in wishful considering till the final doable second that the coronavirus would miraculously disappear with out doing injury to the US economic system.

Trump’s meltdown on Monday — and seemingly, his “accomplishments” video — was a response to an in-depth story the New York Instances revealed over the weekend that examines his coronavirus failures in-depth. The piece is filled with paperwork, e mail threads, and on-and-off-the-record quotes from authorities officers — however as an alternative of responding to it on the deserves, Trump spent the weekend accusing the Instances of fabricating sources.

At this late date, it’s now not a shock that Trump is essentially incapable of being accountable for something. (Monday’s briefing got here on the one-month anniversary of his proclamation on the state of the US coronavirus disaster: “I don’t take responsibility for anything at all.”) However the brand new coronavirus timeline video illustrates each the brazenness of Trump’s try to rewrite historical past and the sheer laziness of it. It tries to create the optics of motion, however a detailed have a look at the issues being highlighted as accomplishments reveals there’s actually nothing there past bluster.

The information strikes quick. To remain up to date, comply with Aaron Rupar on Twitter, and browse extra of Vox’s coverage and politics protection.

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