Has Donald Trump Created a Perfect Storm for this Nation?

Donald Trump trivialized and downplayed the pandemic when it first threatened because he was wary of its potential impact on ‘his’ economy and stock market.  He knew that his primary path to victory in the election would be on the strength of the economy, which is almost always a determining factor in a land where people vote with their pocketbook in mind.

So Donald ridiculed the epidemiologists and the scientists, a very familiar role for him as a climate change denier.  He compared the virus to the flu, he predicted it would disappear quickly, he peddled quack cures.   He made no effort to understand the science behind COVID-19 or to explain to the nation what it was facing.  When finally confronted with the dire consequences of his stubborn refusal to take action, he went into whopper mode and took refuge in his usual lies and exaggerations – 'there were plenty of tests, beautiful tests; he and Jared had done an incredible job of providing PPE'. 

And then he basically shrugged his shoulders and gave up any leadership role, dumping all responsibility on the individual states, who have limited capability to mobilize for a true national emergency.  The only role he kept was as a cheerleader for re-opening the economy as quickly as possible and a dog whistle agitator for the fools who were protesting lockdowns and masks, making it all the more difficult for the governors to reduce virus counts.

Some of the worst hit states, primarily in the Eastern seaboard, kept their shutdowns in place for a longer period and were able to get the contagion under control and put in place significant testing, tracing, tracking and quarantine regimens.  But many states re-opened very quickly, encouraged by Trump’s relentless warnings about the impact of the shutdowns and exhortations to get the economy back on track.

Trump had stopped listening to scientists or experts and the few advisors who have any sense at all run scared of him, generally acquiescing to whatever his so-called instincts tell him to do.  His childish refusal to wear a mask and his clear support of those who saw the mask as a violation of their God-given rights further limited the efforts of states to impose safety measures.

And now, in late July, five months after the pandemic took hold in the USA, a perfect storm is forming rapidly:

• The pandemic has not ‘disappeared’.  On the contrary, it is raging in many states at a level equivalent to or worse than in late March and early April.
• Our economy suffered horribly in the first shutdown, but massive stimulus funds generally kept it from becoming a human tragedy.  Now those funds will either run out or the country will have to go much further in debt because we did not do the hard work of really getting the virus under control.
• A second shutdown or continuation of this partial shutdown will do much more long term damage to the economy than a longer, more effective first shutdown would have done.
• A growing awareness of racial and social injustice and accompanying protests and violence are likely to be fueled by the pandemic's toll on the poor and working class.
• Fall and winter are around the corner and a stronger wave of contagion is very possible.

The irony is that all of Trump’s efforts to avoid an economic downturn that would endanger his re-election have done the exact opposite.  By the time the election arrives, the economy will be further in the hole, and the stock market will probably finally realize that a recovery is a long way off and fall precipitously.  We will have created a massive additional debt for the country, much more than the EU or other developed nations will incur.

Moreover, Trump's gut response to large scale protests on BLM and social justice is to provoke and threaten rather than to provide conciliatory and empathetic leadership.  The last refuge of a demagogue is the ramping up of fear and the use of paramilitary forces to silence dissent.

Let's face it, we are the laughingstock of the world.  No one looks to us for leadership anymore.  The richest and most powerful nation in the world looks terrifically vulnerable and pathetic.  It didn’t have to be this way.  If Donald Trump had any shred of dignity or morality, he would resign immediately and apologize for the almost irreparable damage he has done this great nation.