Saturday, March 14, 2020

How President Donald Trump handled the burgeoning global Wuhan Coronavirus pandemic


https://www.euractiv.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/03/Trump-announces-ban-800x450.jpg

NBC News


Luciana Borio once worked on President Donald Trump’s National Security Council, but she left last year after a purge of the global health unit.

So when she realized how bad the coronavirus outbreak was likely to get — and saw that the Trump administration was not taking the necessary steps to contain it — all she could do was take her case to the public.

“Act Now to Prevent an American Epidemic,” was the headline of her Jan. 28 op-ed in The Wall Street Journal, in which she called for widespread testing and beefing up hospital preparedness. “The Wuhan coronavirus continues to spread at an alarming rate,” she warned in a subsequent op-ed a few days later.

Trump saw the situation much differently. While he blocked some Chinese nationals from entering the country in late January, his public message was simple: This is no big deal.

“We only have five people. Hopefully, everything's going to be great,” he said on Jan. 30. A few days later, he said, “We pretty much shut it down coming in from China.”

But in fact, the Trump administration hadn’t shut down the coronavirus. The testing that Borio and other experts called for never took place, even as Trump continued to downplay the risks and make a series of false statements that experts say muddied public understanding.

As the virus continues to spread across the United States, the nation is reeling, with schools closed, sporting and cultural events shut down, and an economy in danger of lapsing into recession. As many as 50 Americans have died.

An examination of how the Trump administration responded to the coronavirus outbreak that was first documented in December reveals a story of missed opportunities, mismanagement and a president who resisted the advice of experts urging a more aggressive response. All the while, Trump made a series of upbeat claims, some of which were flatly false, including that the number of cases was declining in the U.S. and that “anybody who needs a test gets a test.”

On Friday, Trump moved to take steps that experts said should have been done weeks ago, declaring a national emergency and launching a new, broader testing program.

Apparently, we just might have made these steps on day one when it was first reported if the President didn't decimate his National Security team.

In 2018, Trump fired his homeland security adviser, Thomas Bossert, whose portfolio included global pandemics. The next month, national security adviser John Bolton disbanded the NSC’s global health unit. Rear Adm. Timothy Ziemer, the top official in charge of a pandemic response, also left his job. 
So did Borio, whose title was director for medical and biodefense preparedness.

None of them was replaced. That meant Trump had no top advisers in the White House with expertise in global pandemics.

“You organize your NSC around the threats you care about,” said Jeremy Konyndyk, who led the U.S. government’s response to international disasters under the Obama administration.
Pandemics were deemed a lower priority for the Trump national security team, Konyndyk and other public health experts said.

I am going to get a lot of ribbing about this from a lot of devoted Crap readers, but right now it's better and definitively safer to have #TDS than the Wuhan Coronavirus.


50 comments:

Anonymous said...

Doing great.

Anonymous said...

More interesting is show China and the Clinton administration brought us here, And how Cuomo, the son of the greatest gov of NY in his own words or de Blasio refusing to close schools, dealt with the problem..

Rob in Manhattan said...

Anyone who uses 'tds" is definitely "tsr" -Typical Stupid Republican.

He was much more concerned about a "pen mark" than this disease.

Rob in Manhattan

KT said...

Thank you for this honest recap. This isn't a bipartisan thing, Trump severely mismanaged this pandemic and when the dust settles (God willing) this is going to go down as the biggest fuckup that cost people their lives.

JQ LLC said...

@Anon re: Clinton

Enough. I hate the Clintons and Cuomo and de Blasio (we all should), but focus on the actual response and preparedness. That's the issue and Trump has failed us all. Bubba's presidency ended 20 years ago.

As for not closing the schools, check out one of the articles I posted in the past week. It's too keep the homeless kids sheltered. There's clearly a LOT more homeless people than what's been reported.

Anonymous said...

There is no reason schools need to remain open. Homeless can be accommodated for, just read Corey Johnson’s argument. And if you’re pinning this on Trump then by all means feel free to vote for a Communist or a senile for President. I’m sure they would do so much better. Lame post, JQ.

Queens Crapper said...

This blog is in your hands now, but when I ran it, I kept it local and rarely mentioned Bush or Obama. Why? Because City Hall and Albany are screwing us more directly than the White House. Trump wasn't telling people to avoid large crowds but go to a Broadway show or continue to send your kids into a Petri dish. JMHO.

Anonymous said...

News report -"Trump said water is wet !"
Fake news - "Trump hates water !"

Anonymous said...

Trump's doing fine. Just another bunch of deep state democrats still blubbering over the loss of their goddess, Hillary. Keep up the good work Donald! You folks in NY have your own real problems, Il Duce and Dumbo.

Anonymous said...

Come on ! "Bubba's presidency ended 20 years ago"
Tell me who runs the DNC ?
Hillary lost a rig election and you people (#TDS) can't get over her losing to the Bad Orangeman ...

Anonymous said...

@Blogger KT said... Yes KT and Climate Change is racist !

JQ LLC said...

@ QC

I value your opinion highly but this blog has been in my hands for the past year. I didn't see much of an argument when I posted about Trump being impeached, which was a colossal waste of time.

This is a global pandemic and I don't see how Trump's responsibility and inaction cannot go unacknowledged even on a local level. Just like 9/11.

I assure you this isn't political bias, it's to inform the public. We got to realize how we got to this state of panic and continuing confusion, of which our mayor and governor are continuing to foster and I will post more stories on those two fauxgressive idiots running our state and city (which I already have)

BTW, unlike those last two hack presidents, Trump is from Queens. Which I think qualifies as local.



Anonymous said...

AOC Last week "Not patronizing Asian restaurants is straight-up racism "

AOC Today "PLEASE stop crowding bars, restaurants, and public spaces right now. Eat your meals at home”

Coronavirus is Made in China !

JQ LLC said...

@anon re: Lame

You know there's a 37-year-old woman running for President too, right?

https://www.tulsi2020.com/

Vote your conscience.

Anonymous said...

@JQ LLC said...

I Voted for Trump in 2016(Anyone but Clinton) but I'm thinking 0f voting for Tulsi all the time. She would make a great first woman President IMOP.

Could you and the readers imagine Joe Biden as president ?
The Dem party is over if Sleepy Joe runs againt POTUS 45 !

Anonymous said...

It's really telling that the Democrat party is taking the side of China over our own president. Isnt that the definition of treason? Pretty sure it is......

Anonymous said...

You Tube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJsFjuV0t4k

Blame Trump ? China did this before we even knew where Wuhan was on a map !

1) Leaked from their lab.
2) Covered it up for over a MONTH.
3) Arrested whistleblowers.
4) Held a 130,000 banquet in Wuhan.
5) Let 1 Million leave epicenter before quarantine.
6) Arrested citizen journalists.
7) Delayed WHO and blocked CDC.
8) Continues to LIE about case numbers and deaths...

CCP is 100% responsible for Made in China virus and MUST BE PUNISHED for the deaths and devastation they’ve caused.

georgetheatheist said...

Value JQ and the Crapper's two cents each. Very much appreciated. Excelsior!

Anonymous said...

So AOC says we are racist if we dont load up on MSG and get diaharea. Is she aware of the toilet paper shortage?

georgetheatheist said...

Tell me I'm wrong? Bottom line: the Democrats hope you die with this sickness so they can defeat Trump? Right or wrong?

JQ LLC said...

@Anon re: You tube

I am not blaming Trump for spreading the disease but undermining the severity of it. Christie Todd Whitman's misinforming the public about the air at ground zero post 9/11 attack immediately came to mind.

@GTA

Thank you very much. And I know the Dems want to get Trump out by any means necessary, but they're not that dumb and evil, they still need people to vote for them and Joe 30330.

Anonymous said...

Worth a read.

https://www.globalresearch.ca/covid-19-further-evidence-virus-originated-us/5706078

Anonymous said...

George the Atheist is right as usual.

Anonymous said...

Fortunately, we don't have to rely on the incessant babbling of DJT in this case. We have a 79 year old "kid from Brooklyn", Dr. Anthony Fauci in place to advise the public of the appropriate response to this pandemic. When DJT ran in '16, I thought it was a "gag" for a reality show. As a lifetime registered Republican in NYC and LI, I felt compelled for the first time to vote Libertarian. I guess the joke was on us ! BTW : Dr. Fauci is a grad of Regis HS and a true New Yorker.

Anonymous said...

I wish people would stop trying to deflect from the real problem here. Trump effed up and this time it won’t take years or decades for people to die as a direct result. He will never take responsibility for it or any other completely wrong thing he’s done since day one. Please stop trying to defend this monster.

Anonymous said...

Remember SARS? Remember Swine Flu? Both were epidemics that started in China, the first happened during George W Bush's time and the second happened during Obama. Guess what? Neither had an effect over here in America. Two open borders "Globalist" Presidents did a much better job than the so called nationalist Trump.
You Trumptards are something else. I honestly hope Trump orders you to jump off a bridge. I am sure you will do it because Trump told you. And guess what, the rest of us would be better off. Also take his advice that Coronavirus is not "that bad". Go ahead. The gene pool needs to be cleaned.
Where is the MAGA I keep hearing about? Gee one sucker born every minute. I also remember Trump trashing Ronald Reagan back in the 80s. Guess who turned out to be a better leader, it was not Trump, it was Reagan. Probably the last President who really put the country before his party or even his own political career.

Anonymous said...

More #TDS lies uncovered !

"It’s a brazen lie that President Donald Trump “slashed” CDC funding, which is being used as an excuse for the agency’s coronavirus unpreparedness. Cognitively impaired and truth-challenged Joe Biden made the claim during last week’s Democratic debate that these purported “Draconian cuts” put Americans at risk. But Trump’s budget proposal to cut some sliver of CDC fat has never been enacted, and Congress increased funding, instead."
Michelle Malkin

http://michellemalkin.com/2020/03/11/cdc-centers-for-damaged-credibility/

Anonymous said...

Remember SARS? Remember Swine Flu? Yes I'm smart too !

One day we will remember you and the rest who suffer from #TDS after #TRUMP2020 & #TRUMP2024

Anonymous said...

"The gene pool needs to be cleaned" & "jump off a bridge" Ha Ha !
Very heavy hateful language spoken like a true Left-Wing Dem voter !
A left-wing idiot is as dangerous as a right-wing idiot.

Anonymous said...

We should be blaming the real culprits of this problem which is China. China acted very irresponsible by allowing their citizens to travel outside of the country after they knew about this virus existing. If you knew about this since November or December, then why didn't you stop all tourism coming into china and stop all citizens from traveling outside of the country the very next day. Sorry to say media, but its NOT racist to say that this virus lays in the fault of china not president trump. I dont care how much the media or whatever liberal wants to spin it, you must see who the real culprit is.

Anonymous said...

Remember SARS? Remember Swine Flu? Both were epidemics that started in China, the first happened during George W Bush's time and the second happened during Obama. Guess what? Neither had an effect over here in America. Two open borders "Globalist" Presidents did a much better job than the so called nationalist Trump.

Yes, I do remember both of them. And guess who bought this virus over here? I remember 17 years ago, immigration was a bit more controlled and we didnt have a million Chinese people coming and going out of this country. Guess who is the one who ALLOWED more people to keep coming here? Your precious Obama! Who had no control and gave out visas left and right to every single person who asked for one and also never controlled illegal immigration. And guess who else we can blame? President Clinton! President Clinton was the president who increased visas from 500000 per year to over 1 million visas per year! Trump didnt start this fire, it was burning BEFORE he got into office. Yet when he TRIES to fix something, he is met with idiot democratic backlash for everything he TRIES to do. And all these idiot sheep protestors out there, don't help! If you want to blame anyone, blame xi Jinping for it! The SECOND he found out about this, he should have shut his visas down and shut his borders IMMEDIATELY! But he CHOSE to wait over a month to do it! So stop being a closed minded fool and wake up!!

Anonymous said...

So it’s Trumps fault the Chicoms let one of their bio warfare agents out? The guy canceled flights and was called a racist SMH.

Julie B. said...

Anthony Fauci is 79? Damn, he looks good!!! I know he's been at this for a long time, but I guess intelligence ages well.

Anonymous said...

Jared and Ivanka sell Green Cards on a investor program, buy a property or a business and you get a red carpet into America. The vast majority of these people are from China.
Moron. I bet you cannot walk a mile, or even run a mile. Another hamberder today?? LOL. I have met a lot of Trump supporters, old fat boomers. Typical, I guess all that LSD you did back in the day ruined your ability to differentiate between reality and fantasy.
Trunp could not follow his own doctor's advice that he needed to lose 15 pounds, that was when he weighed in at 239, wound up gaining six pounds to 245. He also says he is 6-3 LOL. I recall in his book Art of the Deal he claimed he was 6-2. How do you age 30 years and gain an inch of height? The idiot who cannot control his own basic bodily function of what he should eat is now telling us what we should do in the worst pandemic in a century. If people actually believed him the market would not be crashing like it is now. Oh maybe Wall Street is "Deep State". LMAO. Buy Alex Jones magic pills, they will help!!! LMAO Sucker.

Anonymous said...

And your tuna fish stained POTUS Barack Hussein Obama II smoked and couldn't stop !
LMAO Sucker

Anonymous said...

Wow,

you post an article from NBC and expect it to be a fair representation of the facts?
Shame on you JQLLC.

Here are some facts for anyone who cares to look them up:

-This strain of coronavirus was only identified as a problem in China sometime in December.

-By January 23rd, the Chinese government shut down the city of Wuhan due to a spreading epidemic.

-By January 31st, President Trump enacted a travel ban to and from China in order to stem the outflow of infected individuals to the US. Meanwhile, back in the USA, democrats were busy calling him a xenophobe and racist for doing so. He acted anyway and that single decision may have been the turning point of this epidemic. Democrats were more interested in impeachment anyway. They said NOTHING about protecting the public.

-Genetic maps of the virus were quickly obtained through scientific/diplomatic channels with China and this information was quickly used by the CDC, at the direction of President Trump, to produce the first known vaccine for this strain of Coronavirus. The human trials started today.

-The President remained calm and composed despite the widespread hysterics and bed-wetting of the Left.

-If you look at the numbers scientifically, and this is hard to do for liberals crapping their pants, you will see that the number of fatalities in the US is surprisingly low for an infectious pandemic which started back in January when the first infected individual arrived in the US. As of today, there are approximately 80 deaths from Coronavirus, approximately 1/3rd of those from a single outbreak in that nursing home in Washington state.

So I ask you, if Trump did everything wrong, why is the death rate so low in the US while the same virus spread in Europe at roughly the same time? European deaths are in the thousands. Still not Flu numbers but much higher than US numbers.

I will say this again; the current Seasonal Flu (mostly H1N1 virus and Influenza B virus) has killed over 30,000 Americans this season and it's not over yet. THIRTY THOUSAND AMERICANS DEAD FROM SEASONAL FLU and there was no widespread panic!

No, this coronavirus is not the same as Flu, but both can kill and one is doing a hell of a lot more killing than the other.
Furthermore, why was nothing said about Obama's response to the Swine Flu epidemic as it killed something like 14,000 Americans (2009-2010)?
Italy? They had 68 Thousand flu deaths between 2013-2016. Sixty Eight Thousand Flu Deaths in Italy between 2013-16. Nobody said a word.

This coronavirus is not done, but it is following an established curve pattern of infection and death known as Farr's curve. It's a bell shaped pattern that is the predictible course of infectious disease epidemics within a population.
With our nation experiencing the full brunt of this disease for approximately two months now (there is no vaccine or immunity yet), why is it that there are approximately 80 deaths and not 80,000?
Answer; because the disease propagation is following a small curve due to early action by the President.
How will you know I'm right? When the total number of deaths from Coronavirus turn out to be much less than the millions predicted by liberals shitting their pants.
In fact, this coronavirus epidemic won't even approach the numbers killed by seasonal flu. Yes, mark my words because if you believe in math and science, then you understand that a population two months into a pandemic with only 80 deaths is experiencing a shallow death curve and can expect relatively few deaths.

Harry Haller

Anonymous said...


...Continued from above


So why all the panic?
My own theory is this: the liberals and democrats have had 4 years of non-stop hysteria over the Trump Presidency. They are apoplectic over the prospect that he gets another 4 years.
Along comes this doomsday virus to justify their irrational behavior and subconscious belief that the world has fallen apart. Thus, the Coronavirus Pandemic becomes their self-fulfilling prophecy of doom under President Trump.
What better time to crap your pants and shout that the shit has hit the fan than in the midst of a declared pandemic?

Thankfully, nature doesn't follow libtard logic and the pendulum will eventually swing back towards reason with the warmer weather. At that time, everyone will be asking why the libtards lost it over an infectious disease threat that was not even on par with the seasonal flu.
The entire nation will have Summer and Fall to consider the libtard lunacy as President Trump wins another 4 years for remaining calm and collected in this crisis.

Harry Haller

Joe said...

Quote: "He also says he is 6-3"

That's because he is at LEAST 6'3.
I worked at NBC, he was at one of the SNL season wrap party's down in Rockefeller plaza when he had his TV show "The Apprentice" Gene Simmons was around also

I'm 6'1 and he was no doubt without question taller then both Gene and myself.
Without doubt more then 239 lbs, If you walk behind him in that suit he's as wide as a refrigerator. Nice guy in my opinion. I spoke with him many times. He was also fed up with all the bullshit, fake news, backstabbing, media conglomerate hijackings, Obama including PC bullshit back then before he entered politics.

In my opinion all the dirty shit Trump saw at NBC/General Electric/Universal is likely a big reason WHY he entered politics.

JQ LLC said...

@Harry

I would have posted this if it came from Fox or Breitbart too.

I am aware of the flu stats, but the flippant attitude and complacency displayed by the undeservedly exalted president is truly undeserved, the president is not being steady at all.

I think the Democrat Party has behaved reprehensibly too trying to take down Trump with the Russia and Ukraine bullshit and the Mueller report (when they could have impeached him on emoluments violations in year 1) but they didn't declare the pandemic, WHO did (and they were late to declare it too)

Sure the death rate is low (for now), but we could have avoided having any fatalities or our collective lives living in existential fear of contagion and most likely of all, destitution.

Donnie fucked up big time.

Anonymous said...

Joe you are 6-1 in your dreams, Trump is not 6-3 and you would lick his boots if he told you. Fact is the US never had a disease outbreak like this. New York streets are empty. I live near a major highway and heard silence. Something I never heard in 40 years. Please keep defending him, next you will tell me he has a body fat less than 9 percent and six pack abs. LOL. Idiot.
His son in law says he is 6-3 and Jared is clearly 2 inches taller than Trump, same with Jeb who claimed to be 6-3, the difference was very obvious. He also stood next to Obama on the same level ground and Obama edged him slightly.
But be a sucker for him, I am sure you own one of his condos and have a membership at his country club. Doubt it. You are nothing but another boomer who cannot distinguish between fact and fiction, reality and fantasy.
Illegal immigration is the same, the job situation in America is the same, the only jobs your saviour created are meager pay service jobs, much of the rust belt is still rust. I have family in Ohio and Michigan and nothing has gotten better there. So keep telling me your fable. You are an idiot.

Anonymous said...

American citizens to be extremely cautious to the point of imposing curfews and quarantines to flatten the curve, and not tooverwhelm the US healthcare system even as the Democratic candidates take to the debate stage to promise non-citizens healthcare to win political points.

Anonymous said...

"Donnie fucked up big time."
Didn't "Real" Crapy warn you about Fake News statements like this ?
More Bull Shit Crapie Jr. and you should leave this Blog to someone else to manage.
Now is the time to stand together not tear the U.S. apart over political views.
You turned this Blog into a Far-Left Shit Hole and I'm going to leave.
FU and the Far-Left #TRUM2020

Anonymous said...

Not buying it JQLLC,

If you want to blame someone, blame the Communist Chinese government:

-for experimenting with a virulent pathogen in Wuhan and allowing it to end up on someone's bat soup menu in the restaurant behind the testing facility.

-for not properly containing the infectious menace.

-for lying to the world about the extent of the damage it was causing.

-for not allowing the US to send it's scientists and doctors to Wuhan to assist and engage in containment measures that would have mitigated its release into the world.

-for having the audacity to actually blame the US military for the virus, as the state media has been implying over there in China.
Remember, according to the liberal useful idiots in America, you're not supposed to call it Wuhan Virus because you might offend President Xi and his comrades.

Leave President Trump alone to manage this crisis without allowing the liberal hysteria to throw our entire economy into an abyss.

Harry Haller

JQ LLC said...

I blame them too Harry. I am very well aware of their monstrous avoidance of transparency and brazen deceit. This post is about Trump's own incompetence and neglect, not to mention its also the DC democrats wasting so much fucking time on baseless investigations that yielded zero results in 3 years. They are just as culpable in our nation's unpreparedness.

And as you see in the story, NBC news (not MSNBC or CNBC, man these networks are so useless) referred to it as the area where it spawned. Hell, it was written by 5 people.

And let me tell ya something. Trump isn't managing anything. The steady state is. And you know what, Obama didn't manage shit either.

https://impunitycity.wordpress.com/2018/09/06/the-deep-state-manifesto/
(fourth place on duck duck go!)

And thanks for sticking around. Your comments are well versed and valued, even if I disagree with them.

JQ LLC said...

@Anon re:Crapy Jr.

We can still be united and be critical at the same time.

So fuck you too. Leave. Good Riddance.

Anonymous said...

"Trump stood next to Obama on the same level ground and Obama"
Dam, the leftist are really going nuts with the hatred at Trump, fake news and misinformation. Good, keep driving them nuts.

Obama was a fan of the black panthers who always wore platform shoes & boots.
Its a black "stand tall" thing
I Googled and Binged Obama photos and in every photo I found confirms at least 1.5 inch heels in every photo and that's only what visible.
Trump is always in flat shoes.
Hell, Obamas wife and daughter in flat sandals are taller then him.
See the facts:

https://footwearnews.com/feature/malia-obama-shoes-outfits-grownup-white-house-1202820143/

Anonymous said...

What next a spanish flu from the Bronx?

Anonymous said...

"So fuck you too. Leave. Good Riddance."
Oh Crapie Jr. what has become of you ?

Anonymous said...

"We can still be united and be critical at the same time."
Critical really ? LMAO
You have agenda and I see right through it !

JQ LLC said...

@Anon re: LMAO

What agenda is that?

Really, enlighten me.