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From the beginning of the novel coronavirus outbreak, Donald Trump has repeatedly misrepresented the seriousness of this threat to the American people. He has also repeatedly misrepresented the extent to which his administration has succeeded in controlling the spread of this illness.

Some examples:

Jan. 22: “We have it totally under control.”

Feb. 25: “You may ask about the coronavirus, which is very well under control in our country. We have very few people with it, and the people that have it are … getting better.”

Feb. 28: “My administration has taken the most aggressive action in modern history to prevent the spread of this illness in the U.S. We are ready.”

Because of his denial of the problem and focus on blaming all others – China, Italy, France – Trump failed to institute effective actions stateside to curb the spread of this serious illness. The need for testing was minimized, so the extent of the problem could not be determined. The need for personal protective equipment for medical personnel and ventilators for seriously ill patients was minimized, so a severe shortage was allowed to develop. The need for additional hospital beds was minimized, so needed capacity was not created. In fact, we learned that we are not ready.

As Trump continued to misrepresent the seriousness of the problem and failed to take effective action to curb the spread of the virus while patting himself on the back for how smart and great he is, the number of infected Americans continued to rise. By March 21, there were more than 25,000 confirmed cases and more than 300 fatalities. Those totals will undoubtedly increase in the weeks and months ahead.

Trump’s incompetence and dishonesty are serious threats to the health and safety of our country. He should have listened more closely to his very knowledgeable advisors to begin advising people to stay home much sooner rather than giving false promises that all would be well.

We need a new leader! We need someone who will focus on protecting the health and welfare of the people of this country now and stop his lying to boost his fragile ego and his personal corporate profits.

We are all paying the price today.

Bette Pierman

Benton Harbor