Thread by @mtracey

I blame Trump for spreading misinformation about coronavirus during the critical weeks when preparations should have been made

I also blame the media and Dems for creating a hysterical political climate that primed half the country to dismiss the threat

spectator.us/trump-blame-sl…

I know it's impossible for so many people to think in anything other than blinkered, partisan terms, but if you're not suffering from either Trump Derangement Syndrome OR #Resistance Syndrome, you can understand how to properly allocate blame for this massive state failure

Further, I know people don't read things they see online, they just react in reflexive pique. But if you actually read the piece I wrote -- and look at the evidence -- I have no idea how any rational person can deny that Trump grievously downplayed and mischaracterized the threat

As discussed in the item, you gotta take Trump "seriously but not literally." Trump didn't "literally" describe coronavirus as a hoax, but he "seriously" used words like hysteria/hoax to diminish the threat posed by the virus, communicating exactly the wrong message to supporters

As chief executive, Trump has an obligation to differentiate fake criticism (Russia crap) from real criticism (coronavirus). During a crucial period, he was incapable or unwilling to do so. Acknowledging this failure is necessary to assess how he handles the crisis going forward

As for the "He stopped flights from China and Dems called him racist" talking point. Uh, OK. Who cares? How does that at all mitigate Trump's extremely harmful public communications strategy? I'm always operating on the assumption that Dems will say stupid crap. It's irrelevant

When you argue, as I do, that Trump gravely mishandled the early phase of the outbreak, people ask: "What should he have done???"

My answer: First, not propagate a false narrative for six weeks! There's a lot of space between telling people to "panic" and giving them false info!