The Washington Post editorial board used an analogy about a burning house to sum up President Donald Trump’s chaotic and widely criticized response to the coronavirus pandemic.
In a column published Thursday, the newspaper’s board said the United States is “reeling from an absence of leadership” by Trump and his administration.
“As the house burns, Mr. Trump is standing on the front lawn, boasting of success, denying responsibility, ordering others to grab the garden hose and promising that everything will be back to normal soon,” the board wrote, warning: “His fecklessness is costing the country dearly.”
The board noted in its column — headlined “Trump is pushing to reopen too soon. The consequences could be tragic.” — how the U.S. has now reached the “very difficult crossroads” of continuing to fight the spread of the virus while cautiously restarting the economy.
It expressed significant doubt about whether Trump was up to the job, however, given how the president has essentially “passed responsibility to the governors, is now urging them to reopen too soon, risking more infections, more death and still more economic loss.”
“The nation’s economic implosion demands action, but the correct response is to reopen in a way that is sustainable and does not cost thousands of additional lives,” the board concluded. “Mr. Trump not only does not know how to get there, but he also appears unwilling to seriously tackle the problem. We may soon see terrible consequences from his abdication.”
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- Stay up to date with our live blog as we cover the COVID-19 pandemic
- What happens if we end social distancing too soon?
- What you need to know about face masks right now
- Will there be a second stimulus check?
- Lost your job due to coronavirus? Here’s what you need to know.
- Why it takes so long to make a coronavirus vaccine
- Parenting during the coronavirus crisis?
- The HuffPost guide to working from home
- What coronavirus questions are on your mind right now? We want to help you find answers.
- Everyone deserves accurate information about COVID-19. Support journalism without a paywall — and keep it free for everyone — by becoming a HuffPost member today.
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