Today, Explained

Can President Trump fix this?

Mar 17, 2020
Matthew Iglesias, a savvy political commentator, dives deep into the Trump administration's handling of the coronavirus crisis. He critiques the administration's late pivot to serious action and highlights major missteps in pandemic preparedness, like disbanding key response teams. The conversation tackles the chaotic communication and disorganization from the leadership. Iglesias also reflects on economic relief measures, questioning their adequacy for struggling Americans, and compares the U.S. response to international efforts during the pandemic.
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ANECDOTE

Disbanding the Pandemic Team

  • The Trump administration disbanded the National Security Council's pandemic group.
  • This was done under John Bolton to "streamline" processes, reflecting a disregard for pandemic preparedness.
INSIGHT

Trump's Initial Response

  • Trump's initial response focused on travel restrictions from China, reflecting his focus on borders.
  • However, he failed to utilize the bought time to prepare for the virus's inevitable spread within the US.
INSIGHT

Testing Shortages

  • The US faced testing shortages due to the CDC's insistence on developing their own tests, which initially failed.
  • Trump bears responsibility for not heeding warnings about pandemic unpreparedness and for setbacks in testing capacity.
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