"World" editorial. On February 28, as the Covid-19 pandemic accelerated in Europe and the United States only had a few cases, Donald Trump declared that the virus would disappear as if by "Miracle" with the arrival of spring. Four months later, not only has the miracle not happened, but the country is experiencing a worrying resumption of contamination.
With 40,000 new cases a day, the epidemic, which has already caused 127,000 deaths and infected more than 2.3 million people, even seems to be intensifying. The situation is made all the more alarming by the fact that the number of people not tested is ten times greater than the published statistics, according to Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. At a time when Europe, where the virus is still circulating, seems to be in control, the world's leading power has all the difficulties in stemming the epidemic.
It's not for lack of being warned. Leaving China in January, the disease spread worldwide from east to west, affecting Europe from February; US officials could have taken advantage of this delay to learn from the experience of countries confronted with the virus earlier.
This, unfortunately, was not the case. The first hit, New York State has paid a heavy price, with a death rate four times higher than that of France. This tragedy should have raised the alarm. Instead of launching a general mobilization on the health front, President Donald Trump, obsessed with his re-election in November, wanted to favor at all costs the resumption of economic activity.
Disclaimer
Trump has repeatedly urged to speed up deconfinement, to irony that the states most affected at the start of the epidemic were all led by his Democratic opponents, to encourage protests for "Release" the states most reluctant to reopen their economies. Today, the virus is spreading among the states that have been quickest to lift the containment and to break the precautionary statements of health authorities. Most are led by Republican governors, who, like in Texas, are now forced to re-impose distancing measures, closing businesses and restaurants, at the risk of undermining public confidence and breaking a nascent economic recovery.
Despite this rebound in the epidemic, Donald Trump remains in denial. If the United States has a lot of Covid-19 cases, it's because it tests a lot, says the president. "So I said to my teams: do fewer tests, please. " A remarkably light-hearted, while testing remains the only way to control the spread of the disease.
The American president has undoubtedly lacked leadership in the major public health challenge posed by the Covid-19 pandemic. By instrumentalizing the disease for political ends, it has exacerbated divisions, blurred health messages and disrupted coordination between the federated states.
This acceleration of contamination is bad news, both for the health of Americans and for their economy. By precipitating the deconfinement out of order, Donald Trump took the risk of losing on both counts. Polls show that he is also losing, for the first time, the support of part of his electoral base.