The missing six weeks: how Trump failed the biggest test of his life

[babylonsister]

The missing six weeks: how Trump failed the biggest test of his life
The president was aware of the danger from the coronavirus – but a lack of leadership has created an emergency of epic proportions
by Ed Pilkington and Tom McCarthy in New York
Sat 28 Mar 2020 04.00 EDT
Last modified on Sat 28 Mar 2020 05.01 EDT


When the definitive history of the coronavirus pandemic is written, the date 20 January 2020 is certain to feature prominently. It was on that day that a 35-year-old man in Washington state, recently returned from visiting family in Wuhan in China, became the first person in the US to be diagnosed with the virus.

On the very same day, 5,000 miles away in Asia, the first confirmed case of Covid-19 was reported in South Korea. The confluence was striking, but there the similarities ended.

In the two months since that fateful day, the responses to coronavirus displayed by the US and South Korea have been polar opposites.

One country acted swiftly and aggressively to detect and isolate the virus, and by doing so has largely contained the crisis. The other country dithered and procrastinated, became mired in chaos and confusion, was distracted by the individual whims of its leader, and is now confronted by a health emergency of daunting proportions.

Within a week of its first confirmed case, South Korea’s disease control agency had summoned 20 private companies to the medical equivalent of a war-planning summit and told them to develop a test for the virus at lightning speed. A week after that, the first diagnostic test was approved and went into battle, identifying infected individuals who could then be quarantined to halt the advance of the disease.

Some 357,896 tests later, the country has more or less won the coronavirus war. On Friday only 91 new cases were reported in a country of more than 50 million.

The US response tells a different story. Two days after the first diagnosis in Washington state, Donald Trump went on air on CNBC and bragged: “We have it totally under control. It’s one person coming from China. It’s going to be just fine.”

more...

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/mar/28/trump-coronavirus-politics-us-health-disaster?CMP=share_btn_fb&fbclid=IwAR3jb4LwSWM6qYmtN2QegSQjwMXHcm8X9YTchd1h7NP3Cm_fnO-9M_Vl9Io

[malaise]

1. Yep

Get thee to the greatest page - the shithound is the worst possible person to be in charge in a crisis

[jimfields33]

2. Trump was watching tv all day. Impeachment was going on

The whole country was involved in that 24/7. He screwed up and we all are paying for it.

[uponit7771]

3. K&R, Red Don's lack of leadership now is killing people. Little to Federal coordination for supplies

... And testing and health care messaging is hurting America now.

[madaboutharry]

4. This article puts it all on the table.

Trump and the incompetent sycophants around him allowed this misery now upon us. Trump reminds me of some ancient potentate bringing destruction to his people because he can’t see past his own internal vanity. It’s almost Biblical.

[gibraltar72]

5. One has a functioning government

One has Trump Pence and Kushner. In no particular order.

[no_hypocrisy]

6. Also, during January, Trump was focused exclusively on saving his ass from removal from office.

And when he focused, he dragged all republican representatives and senators' focus with him. Nobody was looking ahead toward a looming pandemic.

[Demovictory9]

7. k&r

[GusBob]

8. I strongly encourage all DUers to read THE ENTIRE ARTICLE

we all know what happened, the first 3/4 of the piece

But at the end of the article is actually news, what’s happening now. I had not heard about the online start ups. We all need to pitch in locally. Clearly the feds wont help

50 state anarchy

[babylonsister]

10. Agreed, thanks. nt

[ramen]

14. I am glad you said this.

I am occasionally guilty of skimming, given the volume of news and opinion I am reading about this topic right now, which is an error. That last chunk is indeed noteworthy.

(edit to fix typo in 'noteworthy')

[GusBob]

15. 50 State Anarchy

Love that

Not to make light but that would be a great name for a band

Or a concert tour by Neil Young

[gademocrat7]

9. The onus is on trump and his minions.

This evil man needs to be held accountable for the tragedies he has caused.

[gab13by13]

11. Excellent post,

I live in Trump country and want to let you know that I have re-posted your post on my local right wing web site. Here in Trump country they are saying that president Obama left Trump a mess with no stockpile of medical supplies. They are saying that no one could do more than what Trump is doing. I doubt it, but I hope that this article shines a bit of light on these cockroaches.

[BeckyDem]

12. Con artist.

The only thing he wins at is robbing the country of its good health and harmony. No good will to be found in his administration.

[Martin Eden]

13. I just hope all this doesn't go down the memory hole

Heading into the November election Trump will brag and give himself a 10 out of 10 for his handling of this crisis.

HE MUST NOT BE ALLOWED TO GET AWAY WITH IT.

[gab13by13]

17. First of all,

our death toll has to be woefully under-reported since Trump balked at massive testing. People who die from coronavirus and were never tested aren't tested, they are buried.
With that said, I have seen projections that we may have up to 1 million deaths from coronavirus, pretty hard to Tweet that away.

[Martin Eden]

19. Trumpers will believe anything he tweets

But beyond his devoted 40%, let's hope everyone else sees what really happened kick this assclown out of office

[CaptYossarian]

16. Six weeks must be the GOP f***-up shelf life.

Dubya was warned 6 weeks before 9/11 and did nothing.

[kentuck]

18. He is rapidly trying to re-write history.

To say that your eyes and ears have been lying to you.

[dlk]

20. Our infotainment president has one skill - infotainment

He is useless as an actual leader and that won’t ever change. Trump will continue to do much more harm than good and thousands upon thousands of Americans will die as a result. Thank you, GOP.