https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-52012049
Trump, in common with all populists and demagogues, favours simple
solutions to complex problems. He closed America's border to those who
had travelled to China, a sensible move in hindsight. However, the
coronavirus outbreak has required the kind of multi-pronged approach and
long-term thinking that seems beyond him. This has always been a
presidency of the here and now. It is not well equipped to deal with a
public health and economic emergency that will dominate the rest of his
presidency, whether he only gets to spend the next 10 months in the
White House or another five years.
As the Reverend Josh King told the Washington Post despairingly: "In
your more politically conservative regions, closing is not interpreted
as caring for you. It's interpreted as liberalism." Even on 13 March,
when the CDC projected that up to 214 millions could be infected, Sean
Davis, the co-founder of the right-wing website, The Federalist,
tweeted: "Corporate political media hate you, they hate the country, and
they will stop at nothing to reclaim power to rule over you. If that
means destroying the economy via a panic they helped incite, all while
running interference for the communist country that started it, so be
it."
