The span of 34 days between March 29, when President Trump agreed to extend social-distancing guidelines, and this past week, when he celebrated the reopening of some states as a harbinger of economic revival, tells a story of desperation and dysfunction. wapo.st/2KWwTLS
This story documenting Trump’s month-long struggle to reopen America is based on interviews with 82 administration officials, outside advisers and experts with detailed knowledge of the White House’s handling of the pandemic. wapo.st/2Wlmr62
So determined was Trump to extinguish the deadly virus that he repeatedly embraced fantasy cure-alls and tuned out both the reality that the first wave has yet to significantly recede and the possibility of a potentially worse second wave in the fall. wapo.st/2Wlmr62
The president sought to obscure major problems by trying to recast them as triumphs.
And though Trump was fixated on reopening the economy, he and his administration fell far short of making that a reality.
wapo.st/2Wlmr62
And though Trump was fixated on reopening the economy, he and his administration fell far short of making that a reality.
wapo.st/2Wlmr62
He repeatedly boasted, for instance, that the United States has conducted more tests than any other country, even though the total of 6.75 million is a fraction of the 2 million to 3 million tests per day that many experts say is needed to safely reopen. wapo.st/2Wlmr62
The factors that health and business leaders say are critical to a speedy and effective reopening — widespread testing, contact tracing and coordinated efforts between Washington and the states — remain lacking. wapo.st/2Wlmr62
