Whether you’re a democrat or republican, liberal or conservative, hate the president or not. I think we can all agree, as divided as we are, that the Trump administration is fumbling the Coronavirus outbreak. 

On Dec. 31, China reported that it was treating what they claimed to be dozens of cases of pneumonia, which was actually the coronavirus (COVID-19) that the government. We can get into the cause of all this in China’s wet markets, but for why those are bad is a whole other article. We need to focus on our response, which has been at odds with the past few weeks as the current administration struggles with basic facts, as usual. 

Jan. 20 saw the first case of coronavirus in the United States., the death toll rose to 423 cases and 19 deaths. All while, Trump has put the spread of the disease as a back burner issue. He has downplayed the very real and vital information, sometimes going over the CDC and other health officials in the same press conferences to downplay the whole situation.

Trump has spent more time using the coronavirus as a political tool to gain support in an election year than actually responding to the virus itself. The Trump administration needs to stop what they are doing and treat this like the serious issue that every single health expert has warned about. His continuous downplaying of everything has put the country at serious risk.

First, Trump put Vice President Mike Pence in charge of the task force, while he should instead be anywhere else. He should definitely be on the opposite end of a 39 and a half foot pole, but even that is not far enough. Mike Pence has a spotty track record, or should I say, a horrible track record with the spread of disease. 

While governor, Pence, fumbled Indiana’s response to an HIV outbreak in 2015 because of his beliefs on syringe exchange. He refused to lift the ban on syringe exchange in the state because he felt it increases drug usage despite all the science and research says it does the opposite. Who is to say, when all the accurate science and research are done, can Pence make the right decision choosing to pick science over personal beliefs. 

So far the administration has shown a lack of caring for science in the downplaying of the coronavirus. If the Trump administration is really taking this outbreak seriously they would default to the CDC and the World Health Organization instead of bolstering his own ego. 

Trump’s “America first” policy blindsided the administration to a quickly growing global pandemic. It refused to take it seriously as it spread to other countries in Asia and then into Europe. Trump acted like a sibling using the “I’m not touching you” defense instead of preparing for the obvious. It caused the virus to spread quickly into the country and the production of test kits was slow. The scrambled to make tests for coronavirus caused them to ultimately fail. Now those who can get tested are those who have already progressed into extreme cases. 

I can sit here and say that the Trump administration should have foreseen coronavirus coming to the United States, but what good does that do in retrospect. The Trump administration needs to put on its big boy pants, own up to its mistake and start seeing this as a serious issue rather than as a political move. Trump needs to stop worrying the country by undermining the experts and just shut up for once. It’s already a serious issue; having the White House and the medical community on opposite ends of the political spectrum rather than as a united front is more worrisome than lack of available testing.