US Presidency: The Danger of Putting Calculations Over Safety

Published in Asahi Shimbun
(Japan) on 9 October 2020
by (link to originallink to original)
Translated from by Eric Stimson. Edited by Patricia Simoni.
One can only be flabbergasted, stunned by such reckless behavior. It is also a betrayal of the strenuous efforts the world is taking to protect against infection.

After being infected with the new coronavirus, U.S. President Donald Trump left the hospital after a mere three days. The degree of his recovery was unclear, as was whether or not he tested negative. Upon returning to the White House, Trump removed his mask before the cameras, tweeted, “Don’t be afraid of Covid,” and returned to work in the Oval Office.

Infection can happen to anyone, and Trump cannot be blamed for it. Yet Trump’s behavior as president deviates from the normal. He repeats unscientific statements, making light of the threat of infection and mocks his opponent for wearing a mask and maintaining social distance.

America is the country with the most Covid-19 infections in the world; 210,000 people have died — far more than the total number of Americans killed in World War II. We do not see Trump reflecting on this reality with any gravity. Instead, what stands out is optimistic propaganda based on shaky grounds. It is clear that Trump’s mindset is to cover up the failure of his policies, with an eye on next month’s presidential election.

It is said that those around the president do not follow federal guidelines about wearing masks. Infection has progressively spread among them to include both the national security advisor and the press secretary, turning the administrative core into an infection cluster.

Even at the U.S. Department of Defense, which is separate from the White House, America’s uniformed elite have entered quarantine because of the strong likelihood of close contact, provoking worries about negative effects on security.

As Trump hurries back to the campaign trail in the midst of this crisis, can he not see the plight of his fellow citizens? Bipartisan talks on additional economic measures seem to be on hold until after the election.

According to a CNN poll, over 70% of Americans are “embarrassed” by this response to the coronavirus. Although there is a certain degree of support for the administration’s response, trust in the government has been considerably damaged for most people.

In order to both contain the coronavirus and restore the economy, Trump needs to take action so that citizens understand scientifically-grounded information and are appropriately fearful. A trusting relationship between the government and its people is probably a key requisite.

But beyond Trump, there are many other countries where leaders are minimizing risks, while the infection spreads. If necessary measures are neglected just because they are unpopular, a vicious cycle will be likely, within which damage will spread and citizen distrust in politics will be magnified.

The coronavirus disaster is a humanitarian problem of life and health on a global scale, and the infection has spread to every region of the world. Reacting to it without making careful political calculations is a failure of leadership.


その無謀な行動に、あきれ、驚くほかない。世界が懸命に取り組んでいる感染防止の努力に対する背信でもある。

 新型コロナウイルスに感染したトランプ米大統領が、わずか3日間の入院を経て退院した。回復の程度も、陰性になったのかも明らかにされていない。

 ホワイトハウスへ戻った際は、カメラの前でマスクを外してみせた。国民に「コロナを恐れるな」と呼びかけ、大統領執務室での仕事も再開した。

 感染自体は誰にも起こりうることであり、責められない。

 だが、トランプ氏の大統領としての振るまいは常軌を逸している。感染の脅威を軽視する非科学的な発言を繰り返し、マスク着用や人との距離を守る野党の政敵を嘲笑してきた。

 米国は世界最大の感染国であり、第2次大戦後の米国人の戦死者総計を大きく超える21万人が死亡している。その深刻さを反省する様子は見えない。

 代わりに目立つのは、根拠の乏しい楽観論の宣伝である。来月の大統領選をにらみ、これまでの対策の失敗を覆い隠したい思惑があるのは明らかだ。

 マスク着用などを求める連邦政府の指針は、大統領の周りでは守られていなかったという。そのなかで補佐官や報道官らが次々に感染し、政権中枢がクラスター化した。

 大統領府から離れている国防総省でも、米軍制服組のトップらが濃厚接触の可能性で隔離に入るなど、安全保障上の悪影響も心配されている。

 この危機のなかでも、選挙運動への復帰を急ぐトランプ氏には、国民の窮状が見えていないのだろうか。追加経済対策をめぐる与野党協議は、選挙後に先送りする意向を示した。

 CNNによる米国民の意識調査によると、国内のコロナ対策を7割以上が「恥ずかしい」と感じているという。政権の対応は一部の支持層には受けても、多くの国民の間では政府への信頼を著しく損ねている。

 コロナ封じ込めと経済立て直しを両立させる道は、科学に基づく公的情報を人々が理解し、「正しく恐れる」行動をとることだ。その点で肝要なのは、政府と国民の信頼関係だろう。

 だがトランプ氏に限らず、他の国でも指導者がリスクを過小評価するなかで感染が広がったケースは少なくない。たとえ不人気でも必要な対策を怠れば、被害の拡大と国民の政治不信が増幅する悪循環を招く。

 コロナ禍は、命と健康に関わる地球規模の人道問題であり、どの地域であれ感染拡大は世界に波及する。偏狭な政治的打算を抜きに対処できないならば、指導者として失格だ。
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