Failed leadership: Donald Trump lies to cover incompetence

Echo opinion letter published in The Tribune-Democrat in Johnstown Pennsylvania

Trump has failed to lead during crisis

Donald Trump has lied to the American people for three years, and now his lies and incompetency are affecting all of us. 

When we first learned about this coronavirus in January, Trump denied the reality of the virus, calling it a Democratic hoax to affect his electability. 

He lied to the country when he said it was contained. He repeatedly dismissed the threat of a U.S. outbreak, saying in February, “One day it’s like a miracle – it will disappear.”

Trump played golf, held fundraisers and gave campaign speeches after being briefed on COVID-19.

Why was he not in Washington, D.C., mobilizing our scientific and medical community to work on the problem?

This is failed leadership. The decision he made in 2018 to dismantle the global health security office, which was set up to manage America’s response to pandemic, was obviously a mistake, too.

We need to hear from the CDC and Dr. Anthony Fauci, not Trump, who is passing misinformation everyday. One can’t help but wonder if he had placed the country above his own selfish interests two months ago, that maybe we would be more prepared to deal with this national crisis?

So we are now in a semi-lockdown mode and still no testing is available even though on March 6 he said, “Anybody that needs a test can have a test.”

The coronavirus and Trump’s incompetency and failed leadership have brought our nation to its knees for who knows how long.

Elizabeth A. Sabo
Windber, Pennsylvania