Trump did not do the country any big favors in his speech last evening. Reading the words like someone was holding a gun to his head, he neither reassured or inspired trust that his plans would be enough. His hang dog expression showcased how thoroughly frustrated he is that this pandemic has shown up on his watch. How inopportune it is for him personally. The virus is messing with his reelection chances. What a bummer, he muses.
Following the speech, newscasters interviewed epidemiologists who stated their disappointment in all that Trump did not say. Then they proceed to point what measures should have been included. As a signal that the speech failed to instill confidence in Trump’s leadership, the Dow Jones immediately dropped another 9.4%.
Now we get an inkling of how important a leader can be in a crisis.This is exactly what Winston Churchill understood about leadership. At the 11th hour, during WWII, he rallied the Brits with his soaring calls for unity and a measure of sacrifice from each citizen, all for the welfare of the nation. And the nation rose to meet his calls..
All Trump can elicit is a self serving insistence that he would still hold his political rallies because “It doesn’t bother me at all, and it doesn’t bother them at all.” And so, Americans are faced with a dangerous reality. We have a man/child sitting in the Oval Office who cannot think beyond his own psychological needs.
For that reckless remark, he conveyed to the world that this pandemic is overblown and that he is not going to take the precautions his own health experts are advising. And worse he will jolly well jeopardize his followers’ health to keep them excited about his re-election campaign. And increase the spread and kill more people to boot.
Because at this stage, the nation cannot expect inspirational or effective leadership from the White House, some state Governors are stepping in to fill the void. They are showing a willingness to make tough decisions despite the economic hardship and backlash it will cause. They are providing a measure of hope that there are still competent leaders who will protect us, without a hint of partisanship involved.
Let’s look to Joe Bide in his national speech this afternoon to allay some of the fears of an obviously rattled nation. Maybe he will be eloquent enough to elicit a measure of calm and a we can do this together mentality. And because Trump has injected a note of doubt about the risks of this virus, Biden will need to reiterate that COVID 19 is ten times more contagious and lethal than than of the flu.
Right now, I yearn for Barak Obama’s magnificent voice and eloquent words of encouragement.
Here is the Washington Post’s article discussing how often Dr. Anthony Fauci had to correct Trump’s misleading statements about the virus.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/03/11/anthony-fauci-undercuts-trump-flu-other-coronavirus-assertions/