There is every indication that the US could be on a trajectory to be where Italy is now unless we flatten the coronavirus curve by taking extreme measures now such as social distancing, and staying at home. Trump has repeatedly described the outbreak in the United States as “an unforeseen problem,” but the opposite is true. After Trump and his Republican colleagues have downplayed the potentially deadly virus, the president took a more somber tone on Monday as he addressed the nation while giving sound advice as he stuck to the script.
What caused Trump to act like a leader for a few minutes suddenly? Well, it finally hit the White House that the COVID-19 outbreak will be a significant election issue, and the speech former Vice President Joe Biden gave on the outbreak factored in, according to the Associated Press. After the Democratic hopeful’s calm and reassuring speech, President Biden quickly trended on Twitter.
“The shift was informed in part by a growing realization within the West Wing that the coronavirus crisis is an existential threat to Trump’s presidency, endangering his reelection and his legacy,” the AP reports. “Trump has told advisers that he now believes the virus will be a significant general election issue and he took note of the clear-eyed, somber tone used by his likely general election foe, Joe Biden, in Sunday’s Democratic debate.”
With overwhelming access to information as president, it took months for Trump to realize the gravity of the situation.
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“With reports from Italy growing grimmer, U.S. cases surging and America’s economy in shock, Trump has also received a series of alarming briefings in recent days that have included dire projections about how many Americans could be infected if drastic action isn’t taken.”
Trump’s sudden shift to a more serious tone didn’t last long; however, as he then took to his Twitter account to throw out a racist term to refer to COVID-19. Trump did that to rile up his trash-baby followers while demeaning the Chinese and marginalizing Asians as a whole really. So, the time Trump spent acting in a decent manner at the podium was quickly erased.
Featured image via screen capture
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