Trump's Responsibility for U.S. Exposure to the Pandemic

Yes, Trump is responsible.  How has Trump failed each and every one of us, just as regards the coronavirus pandemic?  Let me count the ways.

1. In 2018, the Trump administration dismantled a group with the National Security Council charged with preparing for when, not if, another pandemic would hit the nation.  When it came, we were unprepared.
2. Last September, the Trump administration eliminated the position of a CDC expert embedded in the Chinese disease control agency.  She would have known almost immediately when the virus was first reported internally to the Chinese agency and allowed the U.S. and all governments to move much faster.  Instead, at least a month was lost, as well as us being dependent on Chinese information rather than having our own person on the ground.  (See Reuters report, March 22, 2020)  When it came, we were unprepared.
3. Last September, the White House Council of Economic Advisors released a report that stated that the economic damage of a pandemic influenza would be $413 billion to $3.79 trillion, with up to 500,000 deaths and between 670,000 and 4.3 million requiring hospitalization.  When it came, we were unprepared.
4. Last October, the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services reported on a pandemic simulation it conducted in real time between January and August 2019 on a fictional respiratory virus that began in China and quickly spread around the world by air travelers.  The results were catastrophic:  11 million Americans infected, 586,000 dead.  The draft report on “Crimson Orange,” the code-name for the exercise, showed how underfunded, underprepared, and uncoordinated the federal government was for this eventuality.  A final report appears not to have been issued and the Trump administration took no action based on the report.  When it came we were unprepared.
5. Once China reported in early January that there was a new coronavirus that had infected hundreds of people (the first case actually appeared in mid-November but the virus wasn’t identified until late December), given the fast and vast potential for the virus’ spreading, Trump should have immediately started temperature screening all flights arriving from China, and all passengers arriving from other countries who had been in China during the previous month.  That would have prevented, or at least greatly limited, the spread of the virus to the United States.  
6. Instead, travel restrictions from China were imposed on January 31, prohibiting all who had been in China within the past 2 weeks from entering, except for U.S citizens. Unfortunately, in the previous month, roughly 300,000 people entered the U.S. from China, so the virus was already among us.  Americans could inexplicably still go back and forth to China with no restrictions.
7. Despite his own administration’s pandemic report (which as stated above was never finalized), Trump continued to minimize the risk to the U.S., citing the small number of cases.
8. The U.S. was unprepared for a necessary massive testing and contact tracing effort.  For some reason, no one with any clout in the administration seemed to realize early on the critical nature of massive testing and follow-up tracing and quarantine to containing the virus.   But his is Infection Disease 101; basic.  Across-the-board social restrictions would slow but not stop the virus.  The emphasis seems to be on insuring we have enough medical supplies, ventilators, etc.  That is certainly important.  But testing and tracing (which requires a large labor force) is critical.  Yet the testing gap is hardly mentioned.  Though it is on Dr. Fauci’s mind.
9. The administration, and admittedly most scientists, told the American public that if they were healthy they would not benefit from wearing surgical/construction face masks and should not wear medical N95 masks because they were limited in number and needed to be reserved for health-care workers and those who were infected.  Of course there was a run on masks of any type regardless.  But still, you see almost no one wearing any type of mask.  

           Recently, The New York Times reported that some U.S. scientists are saying that 

           even regular masks can be helpful because some protection is better than none.  A 

           lead Chinese scientist has said that a major problem is that people in the U.S and 

           other countries are not wearing masks.  And the latest, the CDC is reviewing 

           whether to recommend broad use of masks because of asymptomatics' spreading 

           the virus.

           Masks serve 2 functions.  If you are infected or possibly infected, the N95 mask 

           traps droplets in the mask so others won’t be infected; the regular masks at least 

           interfere with the emission of droplets, some protection again being better than 

           none.  If you are healthy, even the simple masks provide at least some protection 

           from droplets and also make it less likely you will touch your mouth and nose while 

           you are out and your hands have not been washed.

Looking back on this chain of events, there is no question that Donald Trump, and his administration, are responsible for the rampant spread of coronavirus in the U.S.  Both by acts of omission and commission, Trump has left the country totally exposed to this pandemic and we the people will as a result suffer in innumerable ways.