Professor Daniel Drezner on Coronavirus & Trump's "Unique Incompetence"

Professor Daniel Drezner of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University wrote a wonderful [and a bit scary] piece for the Washington Post yesterday titled "The Unique Incompetence of Donald Trump in a Crisis." Drezner explains in depth why Trump has bungled the coronavirus crisis so badly thus far. Here is a snip-it.

Washington Post: "First, Trump’s toddler traits have exacerbated the mismanagement of the situation. The president’s short attention span and quick temper compromised his administration’s ability to handle the crucial weeks when containment was still possible."

However, Drezner doesn't spend enough time on Donald Trump's reputation for fudging the truth, especially concerning science issues, and how that now makes it almost impossible to take anything he says at face value. As we reported yesterday, 80% of the American people say that the single most notable characteristic of our President is that he is "self centered" and only 36% describe him as "honest." Self centered and dishonest is probably not the best combination of traits for a leader in a crisis that impact's the nation's health, especially during an election year.

David Remnick discussed that yesterday in the New Yorker.

The New Yorker: ..." Trump’s overweening self-confidence, his carelessness with language, and his suspicion of government professionals—another facet of his fear of “the deep state”—exacerbates public anxiety and contributes to the chaotic national response to this crisis. When he has taken the opportunity to speak, he has too often chosen the paths of obfuscation, misdirection, and falsehood." ...

... "Trump’s misstatements and understatements in recent weeks are consistent with his general attitude toward empiricism. Which is to say, he has never shown much regard for fact. In the past, Trump has said that climate change is a Chinese “hoax” and that “vaccines can be very dangerous.” Disinformation and misinformation are rampant in his mental universe." ...

So, the American people are left to wonder if they are getting the facts regarding the virus or some Trumpian spin concocted to enhance his chances for reelection.

We can only hope that there are some of those "deep state" professionals left in our federal government or things could get much worse.

#coronavirus #Trump #news #opinion

By: Don Lam & Curated Content