There is no federal plan. Despite the task forces and daily White House briefings that go long into the night, Donald Trump & co. don’t really have a plan to fight the coronavirus or reopen the country. And as difficult as it may be to believe, it’s a a calculated political move. In one of the more jaw-dropping paragraphs you’ll read in a major newspaper, The Washington Post reports:
“Administration officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity to describe internal deliberations, say the White House has made a deliberate political calculation that it will better serve Trump’s interest to put the onus on governors — rather than the federal government — to figure out how to move ahead.”
So instead of helping Americans by putting the full force of the federal government behind fighting the disease, Donald Trump has thrown in the towel and is poised to blame anything and anyone who is a threat to his political future. Now it’s easy to see why Trump points the finger and governors and mayors, tells medical professionals begging for equipment to stop whining, and yelling at reporters, calling them “third rate.” Donald Trump will take responsibility for nothing, and hopes his lack of involvement in the biggest crisis this country has seen in decades won’t matter come November.
So who is leading the charge? The Post reports it’s “a collection of governors, former government officials, disease specialists and nonprofits are pursuing a strategy that relies on the three pillars of disease control: Ramp up testing to identify people who are infected. Find everyone they interact with by deploying contact tracing on a scale America has never attempted before. And focus restrictions more narrowly on the infected and their contacts so the rest of society doesn’t have to stay in permanent lockdown.“
The president seems focused on a goal of re-opening the economy by the end of the month. But there is reason to doubt that will happen. The Los Angeles Times reports:
“Although Trump asserted Friday that he has “absolute authority” to order the country open, the guidelines are not mandatory, but recommendations.
“Governors, mayors and business owners have the ultimate power. Many issued their own guidance before Trump did and some already have announced plans to restrict commerce and public gatherings beyond May 1 no matter what Trump recommends.“
This post contains opinion.