US Presidency: The Danger of Putting Calculations Over Safety

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.