Trump undermines his pandemic response with more misinformation and self-obsession

USA - President Donald Trump’s return as the face of the Covid-19 response has deteriorated into a misinformation masterclass that explains why America is in such a mess. In an extraordinary performance Tuesday, as the daily death toll again soared toward 1,000 and the number of Americans dead approached a tragic milestone of 150,000, Trump again foreswore the most basic requirements of national leadership in a crisis.

At a White House briefing that turned almost into a parody of his own mismanagement of the pandemic, he complained that the government’s top infectious diseases expert, Dr. Anthony

Fauci, had better approval ratings than he did. He painted a misleading picture of a viral surge still raging across Southern and Western states that is showing new signs of spreading deeper into the heartland, saying large portions of the country were “corona-free.”

And he launched a stunning new pitch for hydroxychloroquine, the anti-malaria drug beloved by conservative media but that has not been shown in rigorous clinical trials to be an effective treatment for COVID-19. Given the trail of sickness and death that has unfolded in recent months, it was bizarre though not surprising that the President would return to the controversy over hydroxychloroquine. On Monday night, he retweeted videos describing hydroxychloroquine as a “cure” that meant Americans didn’t need to wear masks. He could have used his soapbox to drum home his government’s guidelines for state openings (which he again contradicted on Monday) or to make a strong case for mask wearing, which he belatedly adopted last week and to plead with young Americans to observe social distancing.

His negligence in this regard confounded hopes of Trump loyalists that his return to the briefing room after weeks in denial over the coronavirus could win back voters who are despairing over his handling of the pandemic. But more important than mere political calculations is the evidence that Trump’s obsessions left no doubt that he lacks a coordinated national strategy or knowledge of the leadership, empathy and inspiration required of a president as the US struggles with one of the world’s worst coronavirus responses. Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden said Trump’s repeated falsehoods could undermine a serious national conversation needed when a vaccine is finally available.

(CNN)