Viral president

Abetter-than-expected jobs report couldn’t stop stocks from falling further Friday. It’s not just due to the coronavirus’ growing disruption to the economy. Also blame a president whose trademark dissembling and blustering instill distrust and confusion far and wide.

If ever a crisis called for clarity, discipline, minimal egotism and deference to expert advice, it is this one. If ever a president were incapable of finding those qualities in himself, it is this one.

In one Fox News appearance, Trump suggested it’s okay to go to work if sick; the Centers for Disease Control explicitly advises people to stay home.

In a roundtable with advisers last week, he repeatedly insisted a vaccine would be ready in record time, only to be contradicted by people who understand how long research and testing takes.

In another roundtable, he falsely claimed an “Obama rule” was to blame for a crucial failure to rapidly expand testing for the virus across the country.

His administration promised 1 million crucial test kits for the virus would be ready by the end of last week. The actual number is barely 75,000.

Friday afternoon, he spouted used-carsalesman nonsense that “anybody that needs a test gets a test,” adding “the tests are perfect like the letter was perfect,” apparently referring to the memo that documented his call with the Ukrainian president.

There’s one contribution Trump can surely make here. A known germaphobe, he’s long been averse to shaking hands. He should tell a public desperate for reliable information never to read his lips — but always to follow his example.