Trump's approach is mirroring what I'm seeing on Twitter: a lot of focus on the polls right now, the arguments being had today, the pain we're imposing rather than the pain we're preventing.
But this isn't about where we are today — not in terms of human, economic, or even political cost. It's about where we'll be in 3 months.
We have to live a bit more in the future than this. The President, in particular, has to live more in the future than this.
We have to live a bit more in the future than this. The President, in particular, has to live more in the future than this.
The problem right now is people can feel the costs of social distancing, both economic and social.
They can't yet feel the costs of thousands of daily deaths from COVID-19 and a lethally overwhelmed health system — which will also trigger mass economic suffering.
They can't yet feel the costs of thousands of daily deaths from COVID-19 and a lethally overwhelmed health system — which will also trigger mass economic suffering.
Trump is a genius marketer, in part because he believes everything is marketing. He's singularly unprepared for a crisis of sufficient scale that the spin dissolves before reality.
But this is one of those.
But this is one of those.
3 months months from now, the polls will reflect the reality the country is living through, and the public's perception of whether we could've done more, done it faster, done it better.
At horrible cost, Trump is focused on the politics of today, not the reality that's coming.
At horrible cost, Trump is focused on the politics of today, not the reality that's coming.
Chaser:
