The President of the United States has a very vested interest in the pandemic, how it is handled, and how it is perceived. It is his responsibility to coordinate, lead, and be the voice of the national response to the crisis. He has the responsibility of keeping the nation safe and guiding it in a positive direction. He also needs to garner the support of the people so that they can rally behind him in a time of crisis such as this. This is especially important for him in an election year, when he needs the approval from the electorate in order to win another term.  

So, what kind of message is President Trump communicating to the American public, and what steps and actions is he taking to tackle the pandemic? Early on, when there were little to no cases in the United States, President Trump was fairly optimistic about the situation and expressed to people that the situation was not dire, and that life would continue as normal. He expressed hope that the virus would cease to be a threat when the weather began to get warmer by April, which was based on statements by some researchers that the virus would not be able to spread as easily in warmer climates. However, this optimism changed into somber action and mobilization by the administration come late February and early to mid-March. The president had an obligation to appear competent in his leadership and protective of the American people. He has had almost daily press briefings in the White House since mid-March along with the task force assembled that consists of cabinet members, health officials, and medical professionals to coordinate the “all-of-America" response in the words of the Vice President.  

The President has faced many challenges to the image of competence and assertiveness he tries to project, most notably from the media, with whom he has had a long uneasy (perhaps even hostile) relationship with. The press has often made controversy over many of the President’s decisions, such as the alleged problems in the supply chains of masks and ventilators, his promotion of hydroxichloroquine, his supposed delayed response to the pandemic, and his early use of the term “Chinese virus” among others. This gets into the media’s perspective on the situation, which is to gain attention through sensationalism, but that’s a topic for another discussion. Trump has resorted to making a spectacle of the reporters who attempt to trap him, often clashing with them and even humiliating them in some cases. By doing this, he turns the tables on the reporters, shifting negative attention onto the media instead of himself.  

The President has also had to work with many politicians and health officials at state and local levels across the country, many of whom are not on his side of the political aisle. As a politician and party leader, he would be best served by making members of the opposite party appear incompetent and ineffective and to make members of his own party appear capable and responsible. However, as the leader of the country during a time of crisis, it would be in his best interest to demonstrate that he is capable of reaching across the aisle and fostering a sense of unity in the country. Although the President has engaged in both of these roles, but he seems to have favored he latter slightly over the former. It would increase his broader appeal in this election year for him to appear cooperative, especially in times of crisis. This is seen in him praising the efforts of governors and congress members from both parties (albeit not without a few jabs interspersed here and there).  

This kind of event, and the kinds of responses associated with them, are unprecedented in recent times, but not entirely unprecedented. Many have compared this pandemic to the deadly Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918, which killed 675,000 in the United States. How did then President Woodrow Wilson respond to this crisis, and how does his response compare to Trump’s? When the Spanish flu broke out in 1918, the United States was involved in the Great War in western Europe. The then Acting Army Surgeon General Charles Richard suggested that troop shipments be halted until the virus in their respective areas had been contained and put under control. This advice was initially heeded by Army Chief of Staff Peyton March and President Woodrow Wilson, but when the delay in troop deployment became significant enough to prevent large portions of the troops from being deployed, March and Wilson ignored the warnings and went on with sending troops to Europe. This coverup and resuming of normal activities is reminiscent of China’s early coverup of the coronavirus in Wuhan.  

So what can be said of comparison between the two responses is that Trump was dismissive at the worst while Wilson was actively covering up the pandemic. This demonstrates that governments today have evolved a greater understanding of public health but still place other practical or selfish motives ahead of that of public health. 

 

 

 

 

 

Sources: 

Scholarly source: - Byerly CR. The U. S. military and the influenza pandemic of 1918–19. Public Health Reports. 2010;125(Suppl 3):82–91.(Link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2862337/) 

Others:    -The White House, Office of the Press Secretary. (2020, March 26). Members of the Coronavirus Task Force Hold a Press Briefing [Press release]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BfdG7C0lDs&t=170s  

- The White House, Office of the Press Secretary. (2020, March 27). Members of the Coronavirus Task Force Hold a Press Briefing [Press release]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bo0zjZkPFyc&t=151s  

- The White House, Office of the Press Secretary. (2020, March 25). Members of the Coronavirus Task Force Hold a Press Briefing [Press release]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_pVHgoYSyY