Spinning the Coronavirus

From the beginning, the Trump administration’s attempts to forestall an outbreak of a virus now spreading rapidly across the globe was marked by a raging internal debate about how far to go in telling Americans the truth. Even as the government’s scientists and leading health experts raised the alarm early and pushed for aggressive action, they faced resistance and doubt at the White House — especially from the president — about spooking financial markets and inciting panic.

From Trump’s first comments on the virus in January to rambling remarks at the CDC, health experts say the administration has struggled to strike an effective balance between encouraging calm, providing key information and leading an assertive response. The confused signals from the Trump administration, they say, left Americans unprepared for a public health crisis and delayed their understanding of a virus that has reached at least 28 states, infected more than 300 people and killed at least 17.

On January 22 during a two-day trip to the World Economic Forum in Switzerland, the president chose to focus on the positive. “It’s one person coming in [to the U.S.] from China. We have it under control. It’s going to be just fine.”

February 10  -  Trump said, “By April, you know, in theory, when it gets a little warmer, it miraculously goes away.”

Meanwhile, Americans stranded in Japan on a cruise ship, the Diamond Princess, were finally returned home February 17, but the president became enraged when he learned that 14 of the passengers had tested positive for the virus in the process of being transferred to government planes. He later said that he was worried that bringing back people who tested positive for the virus would increase the public tally of people infected in the United States.

Late last week, during a visit to the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, the president, as part of a discussion about another cruise ship with Americans on board, said, “I would like to have the people stay.” His concern? It would increase the tally for the number of people infected in the United States. “Because I like the numbers being where they are,” the president said. In other words, it’s better to prioritize “attractive numbers” over treating ailing Americans.

This Week with George Stephanopoulos  03/08/2020
Rahm Emanuel, former chief of staff to President Obama and mayor of Chicago, speaking about Trump and COVID-19: “This administration right now looks like they couldn't organize a one-car parade. And I think here's what's going to be devastating for Donald Trump. Beyond the fact that this requires science, management, data, and being transparent, which are all his weaknesses, you're going to have a point within about two months where you cannot have big events together….. He is not going to be able to have his rallies….. His inability to get the admiration, the adulation from that crowd is going to psychologically torment him. And his isolation is going to get more intense. And his tweets are going to get more vicious.”