Date: 2024-12-21 Page is: DBtxt003.php txt00018567
The Trump Presidency
Manifest Incompetence
Trump’s hopeless helpers ... Secretary Mnuchen, Larry Kudlow, Secretary Pompeo, others ... and sadly Deborah L. Birx
Peter Burgess
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Date: 2024-12-21 Page is: DBtxt003.php txt00018567 | |||||||||
The Trump Presidency | |||||||||
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Burgess COMMENTARY Peter Burgess | |||||||||
| Opinions Trump’s hopeless helpers Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin speaks with reporters outside the White House on Sunday. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin speaks with reporters outside the White House on Sunday. (Patrick Semansky/AP) Viewers of CNN on Sunday morning would be forgiven for thinking those advising President Trump on the coronavirus pandemic are treating the disease with the utmost seriousness. No one around Trump, after all, gives off a better impression than epidemiologist Anthony S. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. On CNN’s “State of the Union,” he did not sugarcoat the situation, predicting “between 100,000 and 200,000” deaths (though he stressed that the number is “a moving target”). But Fauci also laid out a clear plan: “mitigation in those areas like New York City” where infection rates are already high, and “testing, identification, isolation [and] getting people out of circulation who are infected” in places where infections remain rare. And rather than reflexively defend the administration, Fauci admitted that more could be done in getting tests, protective equipment and so on to hospitals that need them. It was, in short, a command performance. If only the rest of those around the president could inspire such confidence. Full coverage of the coronavirus pandemic Other administration guests on the Sunday talk shows were far less impressive. Some opted for blithe optimism: It’s “a question of weeks and months — hopefully weeks — maybe I should say prayerful weeks,” said National Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow on ABC. “It could be four weeks, it could be eight weeks.” Of course, as interviewer Martha Raddatz replied, it was just a few weeks ago that Kudlow was telling CNBC that the virus was contained. And even Kudlow admitted, “I can’t guarantee it. I can’t wave the magic wand. I wish I could.” Meanwhile, on 'Fox News Sunday,' Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin sheltered in his lack of knowledge. He kicked off the interview by explaining how the coronavirus task force swayed the president against a quarantine of the New York region. But when asked whether it was “realistic to open up parts of the country” by Easter and whether doing so might in fact hurt the economy, Mnuchin clammed up about the task force’s workings: “I’m going to leave that decision to the medical professionals and the president.” Perhaps next time the treasury secretary doesn’t feel comfortable answering basic questions, he should refuse to do media hits in the first place. Most worrying, though, given her medical experience, was White House coronavirus response coordinator Deborah L. Birx’s appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” Birx was frank about the scale of the challenge ahead: “No state, no metro area will be spared.” But she refused to answer whether the states or the federal government should lead on getting ventilators and other medical equipment to hospitals. She refused to answer whether domestic air travel should be shut down. And she refused to answer whether social distancing will continue through the end of April. Like with Mnuchin, her appearance left more questions than answers about just how those around Trump are dealing with the pandemic. The fact is, of course, that no one in this White House, including the president, is in charge of what happens with the pandemic. As Fauci said on CNN, 'The virus itself determines that timetable. You can try and influence that timetable by mitigating against the virus, but, ultimately, it’s what the virus does.” And any attempts at mitigation are handicapped at the start by this president’s manifest incompetence. But perhaps an optimal mitigation plan could still have been pulled out of the fire, were there more Anthony Faucis in the White House. That there are not is a tragedy — because the price will be paid in American lives. The Opinions section is looking for stories of how the coronavirus has affected people of all walks of life. Write to us. Read more: Matt Bai: This is Trump’s Daily Show Erik Wemple: Want to know why Trump shouldn’t be allowed on live TV? Listen to Anthony Fauci. Ray Greenberg: Americans may have the war in Vietnam to thank for Dr. Fauci Greg Sargent: Anthony Fauci’s latest interview is just devastating for Trump Jennifer Rubin: Don’t torture yourself with the clown show Coronavirus: What you need to read Updated March 29, 2020 The Washington Post is providing some coronavirus coverage free, including: Live updates: The latest in the U.S. and abroad Local: The outbreak in the D.C. metro area More news today: Two paths for testing - Japan’s targeted testing or wide-net like South Korea | Trump orders former troops back to active duty to assist in coronavirus response | Geriatricians’ advice on what older adults need to do in coronavirus pandemic What you need to know: Coronavirus FAQ | Cases and deaths in the U.S. | Map of cases worldwide | Calculate how much money you might receive from the stimulus bill | Should you get tested? | Your rent or mortgage payments during the pandemic | Follow all of our coronavirus coverage and sign up for our daily newsletter (all stories in the newsletter are free). 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