I don't really agree with the gist of this, but your response is reasoned and well articulated, and your analysis of our collectively poor decision making is sp

I don't really agree with the gist of this, but your response is reasoned and well articulated, and your analysis of our collectively poor decision making is spot on I think. Trump did far worse than almost any other world leader. He didn't merely underperform. He spent nearly two precious months actively mocking and attacking efforts to try and inform and prepare us for the pandemic. Only when Trump figured out he could try to spin himself as a "wartime president" did he start to put on an air of concern. Angela Merkel for example was obviously, clearly waiting to be convinced on a scientific basis -- weighing evidence, currying expert advice, waiting for more data until the last possible moment before putting a gun to the head of the economy and pulling the trigger. To Trump, this is, as with everything single thing he does, primarily a sales and PR mission.