President Donald Trump didn’t name an outside person “czar” for the federal response to the new coronavirus. That’s out of line with how some previous administrations handled such heath issues, but he kept from doing this after concern that bringing in a person from outside the administration could be a seen as a failure, and he wondered if that individual would be loyal to him, according to a Saturday report from The Washington Post. Sources were described as “those familiar with the debate.”
The White House did not immediately respond to a Law&Crime request for comment. Vice President Mike Pence is overseeing the coronavirus response.
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) creeps its way across the globe, and there’s currently no vaccine. The precise long-term effects remains unclear, but health officials are trying to keep it from becoming a regular facet of life. Even something routine like a seasonal flu can still be deadly on a wide scale. The coronavirus was notably seen in countries like China and Italy, but other nations like Austrailia, and Thailand have reported deaths. The United States announced its first fatality. The global death told is at almost 3,000.
Meanwhile, the president has taken a defensive posture as stocks tanked amid concerns over the virus. He insists that things are being taken care of.
“There’s no reason to panic, at all,” he said in a press conference Saturday. “This is something that is being handled professionally.”
Nonetheless, the White House response, the downplaying of the virus, the mis-identification of the first U.S. victim, and the media scrutiny has led to all sorts of political smack talk, and “gaslighting.”
[Image via Alex Wong/Getty Images]
