SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
A sign warns residents to take steps to contol the coronavirus outbreak at the entrance to the Manhattan Bridge in Brooklyn on March 19, 2020 in New York City. (Photo: Victor J. Blue/Getty Images)
As Warnings Mount of So-Called 'Second Wave' of Covid-19, Trump Says He Won't 'Close the Country' Again
"We are witnessing the complete breakdown of the United States government."
May 22, 2020
President Donald Trump declared Thursday afternoon that he would not allow the U.S. to undergo another life-saving lockdown in the event of a so-called "second wave" of the coronavirus outbreak that has yet to significantly abate in the first place.
"We are going to put out the fires," said Trump. "We're not going to close the country."
As The Hill pointed out, Trump does not have the power to order or enforce lockdowns:
The decision on whether to reintroduce restrictions in the event of a second wave would ultimately fall to state governors, not the federal government. While the White House issued guidance to mitigate the spread of Covid-19 it was governors who instituted stay-at-home measures and ordered businesses to close.
However, the president's word carries weight and can indicate what the federal government will--or won't--do in the event of another surge in the disease's spread across the country. As Yale psychiatry professor Bandy X. Lee noted on Twitter, the "first wave" has not ended, meaning that the idea of a "second" wave of the disease is somewhat inaccurate.
"There will not be a second wave of the pandemic," Lee said. "There will only be a continuation/worsening of the first wave."
In early May, a University of Minnesota study warned that the pandemic could last for two years and urged leaders to acknowledge that fact.
"Risk communication messaging from government officials should incorporate the concept that this pandemic will not be over soon and that people need to be prepared for possible periodic resurgences of disease," wrote the paper's authors.
The president has instead repeatedly underplayed the severity of the disease and the danger it poses to public health. Those comments, and a rush to reopen the country, could result in a massive resurgence in infections, hospitalizations, and deaths--and economic catastrophe.
"If a second wave of infections hits, we will be coming out of a bad GDP shutdown with a high unemployment rate and a debt-to-GDP ratio greater than 100% and projected deficits for this year are already $5,000 per American household," MIT professor Jonathan Parker told CNBC. "A second wave of infections would be, I think an even more major economic disaster than the current one."
According to the the National Post, Trump's mismanagement of the crisis going forward courts more disaster:
In the U.S., nine scientists who previously worked for former president Barack Obama have published a seven-page document warning the current government that the clock is ticking--it must prepare for the next wave.
The scientists' statement warns that the country only has three months to gather enough medical supplies to survive any resurgence, and to avoid a repeat of the massive shortage of supplies that contributed to the country's initial chaotic response to the virus.
The president's comments on not closing the country came during a tour of a Ford Motors factory in Michigan where he did not wear a mask despite guidelines to do so in a move that was described by the state's Attorney General Dana Nessel as "extremely disappointing and yet totally predictable."
Trump's re-election chances are widely understood to rest on the health of the economy and the president's downplaying of the coronavirus plays into sending a message that the disease isn't as serious as it appears. Research released this week indicates that a slow response on the part of federal and state governments in the U.S. led to thousands more deaths from the disaese than would have occurred otherwise.
The response from the White House thus far to the outbreak has been faulted on nearly every front, with the White House's use of aid as a political tool and rejection of health guidelines coming in for particular criticism.
Thursday's remarks were more of the same, leading journalist Walker Bragman to remark that the president's rejection of science and public health recommendations indicated a fundamental rot at the heart of the federal government.
"We are witnessing the complete breakdown of the United States government," tweeted Bragman.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
President Donald Trump declared Thursday afternoon that he would not allow the U.S. to undergo another life-saving lockdown in the event of a so-called "second wave" of the coronavirus outbreak that has yet to significantly abate in the first place.
"We are going to put out the fires," said Trump. "We're not going to close the country."
As The Hill pointed out, Trump does not have the power to order or enforce lockdowns:
The decision on whether to reintroduce restrictions in the event of a second wave would ultimately fall to state governors, not the federal government. While the White House issued guidance to mitigate the spread of Covid-19 it was governors who instituted stay-at-home measures and ordered businesses to close.
However, the president's word carries weight and can indicate what the federal government will--or won't--do in the event of another surge in the disease's spread across the country. As Yale psychiatry professor Bandy X. Lee noted on Twitter, the "first wave" has not ended, meaning that the idea of a "second" wave of the disease is somewhat inaccurate.
"There will not be a second wave of the pandemic," Lee said. "There will only be a continuation/worsening of the first wave."
In early May, a University of Minnesota study warned that the pandemic could last for two years and urged leaders to acknowledge that fact.
"Risk communication messaging from government officials should incorporate the concept that this pandemic will not be over soon and that people need to be prepared for possible periodic resurgences of disease," wrote the paper's authors.
The president has instead repeatedly underplayed the severity of the disease and the danger it poses to public health. Those comments, and a rush to reopen the country, could result in a massive resurgence in infections, hospitalizations, and deaths--and economic catastrophe.
"If a second wave of infections hits, we will be coming out of a bad GDP shutdown with a high unemployment rate and a debt-to-GDP ratio greater than 100% and projected deficits for this year are already $5,000 per American household," MIT professor Jonathan Parker told CNBC. "A second wave of infections would be, I think an even more major economic disaster than the current one."
According to the the National Post, Trump's mismanagement of the crisis going forward courts more disaster:
In the U.S., nine scientists who previously worked for former president Barack Obama have published a seven-page document warning the current government that the clock is ticking--it must prepare for the next wave.
The scientists' statement warns that the country only has three months to gather enough medical supplies to survive any resurgence, and to avoid a repeat of the massive shortage of supplies that contributed to the country's initial chaotic response to the virus.
The president's comments on not closing the country came during a tour of a Ford Motors factory in Michigan where he did not wear a mask despite guidelines to do so in a move that was described by the state's Attorney General Dana Nessel as "extremely disappointing and yet totally predictable."
Trump's re-election chances are widely understood to rest on the health of the economy and the president's downplaying of the coronavirus plays into sending a message that the disease isn't as serious as it appears. Research released this week indicates that a slow response on the part of federal and state governments in the U.S. led to thousands more deaths from the disaese than would have occurred otherwise.
The response from the White House thus far to the outbreak has been faulted on nearly every front, with the White House's use of aid as a political tool and rejection of health guidelines coming in for particular criticism.
Thursday's remarks were more of the same, leading journalist Walker Bragman to remark that the president's rejection of science and public health recommendations indicated a fundamental rot at the heart of the federal government.
"We are witnessing the complete breakdown of the United States government," tweeted Bragman.
President Donald Trump declared Thursday afternoon that he would not allow the U.S. to undergo another life-saving lockdown in the event of a so-called "second wave" of the coronavirus outbreak that has yet to significantly abate in the first place.
"We are going to put out the fires," said Trump. "We're not going to close the country."
As The Hill pointed out, Trump does not have the power to order or enforce lockdowns:
The decision on whether to reintroduce restrictions in the event of a second wave would ultimately fall to state governors, not the federal government. While the White House issued guidance to mitigate the spread of Covid-19 it was governors who instituted stay-at-home measures and ordered businesses to close.
However, the president's word carries weight and can indicate what the federal government will--or won't--do in the event of another surge in the disease's spread across the country. As Yale psychiatry professor Bandy X. Lee noted on Twitter, the "first wave" has not ended, meaning that the idea of a "second" wave of the disease is somewhat inaccurate.
"There will not be a second wave of the pandemic," Lee said. "There will only be a continuation/worsening of the first wave."
In early May, a University of Minnesota study warned that the pandemic could last for two years and urged leaders to acknowledge that fact.
"Risk communication messaging from government officials should incorporate the concept that this pandemic will not be over soon and that people need to be prepared for possible periodic resurgences of disease," wrote the paper's authors.
The president has instead repeatedly underplayed the severity of the disease and the danger it poses to public health. Those comments, and a rush to reopen the country, could result in a massive resurgence in infections, hospitalizations, and deaths--and economic catastrophe.
"If a second wave of infections hits, we will be coming out of a bad GDP shutdown with a high unemployment rate and a debt-to-GDP ratio greater than 100% and projected deficits for this year are already $5,000 per American household," MIT professor Jonathan Parker told CNBC. "A second wave of infections would be, I think an even more major economic disaster than the current one."
According to the the National Post, Trump's mismanagement of the crisis going forward courts more disaster:
In the U.S., nine scientists who previously worked for former president Barack Obama have published a seven-page document warning the current government that the clock is ticking--it must prepare for the next wave.
The scientists' statement warns that the country only has three months to gather enough medical supplies to survive any resurgence, and to avoid a repeat of the massive shortage of supplies that contributed to the country's initial chaotic response to the virus.
The president's comments on not closing the country came during a tour of a Ford Motors factory in Michigan where he did not wear a mask despite guidelines to do so in a move that was described by the state's Attorney General Dana Nessel as "extremely disappointing and yet totally predictable."
Trump's re-election chances are widely understood to rest on the health of the economy and the president's downplaying of the coronavirus plays into sending a message that the disease isn't as serious as it appears. Research released this week indicates that a slow response on the part of federal and state governments in the U.S. led to thousands more deaths from the disaese than would have occurred otherwise.
The response from the White House thus far to the outbreak has been faulted on nearly every front, with the White House's use of aid as a political tool and rejection of health guidelines coming in for particular criticism.
Thursday's remarks were more of the same, leading journalist Walker Bragman to remark that the president's rejection of science and public health recommendations indicated a fundamental rot at the heart of the federal government.
"We are witnessing the complete breakdown of the United States government," tweeted Bragman.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.