Coronavirus pandemic: Trump can't even play a president on TV. America, we're on our own.

[CatWoman]

The best we could hope for was that Trump would stay out of the way. Instead he's center stage spreading hunches, distortions and faulty assumptions.

President Donald Trump had a dramatic change in demeanor early this week regarding the coronavirus pandemic, much to the surprise of his critics and members of the White House press corps. He seemed calm, reasonable and properly presidential, and warned that the crisis could run to August or longer. He dismissed questions about the impact on Wall Street by correctly stating that the way to rescue the economy was to defeat the virus. He comforted the nation until, just as abruptly, he flipped again.

Trump is back to making a mockery of daily briefings and fostering confusion among Americans at a time when they are desperate for straight talk. As the nation struggles with an unpredictable pandemic it shouldn’t have to endure an unpredictable president.

Following Trump’s briefing Friday that included a bizarre outburst at NBC’s Peter Alexander, John King of CNN called the president’s words “bulls—t” and "reprehensible." Jonathan Karl from ABC said it was "outrageous to use the presidential bully pulpit to bully" Alexander.

Trump summed up his priorities March 14 by proudly quoting his staff: “Sir, you just set a new record in the history of the stock market!” The next day, as Italy reported a gruesome spike in fatalities and U.S. governors moved to take drastic steps to control social interaction, Trump told the nation: “Relax. We’re doing great. It will all pass.” He seemed giddy over the Fed’s action on interest rates, saying, “I would think there are a lot of people on Wall Street who are very happy!”

Then, as things got worse and the stock market tumbled, Trump had to change course. He decided to become the face of daily White House briefings, shoving Vice President Mike Pence to the side. The calculation was clear: With the 2020 presidential campaign frozen in place — and with the presumptive Democratic nominee, Joe Biden, off the air and removed from view — Trump had a new platform that he alone could control. On that stage he would play the part of a true leader.

For a few days it seemed to be working. Trump took questions for over an hour each day — in a briefing room that his administration had all but boarded up. He listened patiently as some reporters badgered him with what were, frankly, unreasonable questions such as, “How long will the crisis last?” and “When will schools reopen?” Moreover, he seemed willing to allow experts to have their say. An ABC News/Ipsos poll showed his approval rating on handling the crisis was rising.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2020/03/21/coronavirus-pandemic-donald-trump-leadership-failure-column/2888477001/?fbclid=IwAR285e2xA9ztzxtPwCrxmgxicZZ1k5kyEXfSP9EunCJX-V3Dg5vHZ-Ug7IM