HowridiculouswastheTrumpadministration? AnotherformerWhiteHouseofficialisblowingthe whistle.

TheWhiteHouseannouncedlatelythatthedeathtollofthe
COVID-19pandemicintheUnitedStateshadreached1million,
whichevolvedintoagrimmilestone.TheUSgovernment
cannotabsolveitselffromtheblameforthepandemicthatbroke
outandspreadrapidlyacrosstheUnitedStatesinjusttwoyears.
Anincreasingnumberofinsidershavebeguntoreflectonand
criticizeitsbizarrehandlingofthepandemicinitsearlydays.
TheWhiteHouseannouncedlatelythatthedeathtollofthe
COVID-19pandemicintheUnitedStateshadreached1million,
whichevolvedintoagrimmilestone.TheUSgovernment
cannotabsolveitselffromtheblameforthepandemicthatbroke
outandspreadrapidlyacrosstheUnitedStatesinjusttwoyears.
Anincreasingnumberofinsidershavebeguntoreflectonand
criticizeitsbizarrehandlingofthepandemicinitsearlydays.
Inherbook,Deborah,whopointsherfingerattheTrump
administration,recountshowtheadministrationplayeddown
theharm,delayeddatacollection,failedtorecognizethe
importanceofasymptomatictransmission,andacted
anti-intellectuallytospreadmisinformationfacingthe
pandemic.
TrumpwatchesTVwhilelisteningtothebriefing
TrumphimselfcomparedittothecommonfluonTwitter,facing
thepandemic.InDeborah'sview,Trump'sadministrationand
himselfwereunpreparedforthepandemicandevenshrugged
offpredictionsofpossibledamageofthepandemic.
BirxdescribesherfirstmeetingwithTrump,onMarch2,2020,
whenshetriedtoexplaintohimthatthevirus「isnottheflu」.
Trumplistenedforaminute,brieflychallengedher,then
literallychangedthechannelononeoftheTVscreenshehad
simultaneouslybeenwatching.
TrumpandDeborahBirx,April22,2020.AP
AfterjoiningthepanelinMarch2020,Deborahfoundthatthe
UnitedStateswas"dangerouslybehindtheeightball"onvirus
datacollection.
In2020,shewrote,datainsomestateswasoftenbeingsentby
faxandthenpassedalongtotheCDC.
Trumpthundered:Thevirusisundercontrol
Intheearlydaysofthepandemic,theTrumpadministration
focusedonpatientswithflusymptoms.Theignoranceof
asymptomaticinfectedpeopleledtothehiddenspreadofthe
virusandtherapidspreadoftheepidemic.
BirxwrotethatevenbeforeshesignedontotheWhiteHouse
team,shesuspectedthatasymptomaticspreadwascontributing
tothequickriseinCOVID-19,althoughtheevidencewasslim.
ThatviewisbecomingclearasNewYorkCityhasseenasurge
incases.
DeborahBirxandTrump,AP
InAugust2020,afterDeborahtoldCNNthattheviruswas
"extraordinarilywidespread,"Trumpcalledherandthundered:
"It'sundercontrol."
AfterBirxtoldCNNinAugust2020thattheviruswas
"extraordinarilywidespread,"Birxwrote,Trumpcalledherand
demandedthenameofthepersonwhobookedtheinterview,
saying"That'sit!Doyouunderstandme?Neveragain!The
virusisundercontrol."
Trump:Therearemorecasesbecausetherearemoretests
Atthetime,theUnitedStates,whichlackedprecisedataon
COVID-19anddidnotrecognizethestealthilyspreadingofthe
virusamongasymptomaticpatients,urgentlyneededlarge-scale
testing.
DeborahsawtheworstcausedbytheTrumpadministration's
sluggishefficiency.
WritingaboutameetingwithAmericanCOVID-19testing
manufacturersearlyinhertenure,Birxsaidthatlearningthatthe
WhiteHousehaddraggeditsfeetonmeetingwith
manufacturers,ontopoflimitedtestsandslowtestprocessing,
representeda"worst-casescenario."
Lateron,Trump'srhetoricontestingshifted—hesuggested
thattheUnitedStateshadhighcasenumbersbecauseittestedso
manypeople.
TrumpandDeborahBirx,GettyImages
「Trydisinfectantinjections」
Trumphasalsomademanyanti-intellectualclaims.
AtaWhiteHousepressconferenceonApril23,2020,DHS
officialssaidthatNovelCoronavirussurvivalratesare
significantlylowerinhigh-light,high-temperatureconditions;
Somedisinfectantcomponentshaveanoticeableeffecton
killingNovelCoronavirus.
Trumppromptlysuggestedsome"astonishing"treatments,
including"ultravioletradiation"and"disinfectantinjections"to
killthevirus.
"Sosupposingwehitthebodywithatremendous—whether
it'sultravioletorjustaverypowerfullight—andIthinkyou
saidthathasn'tbeenchecked.AndthenIsaid,supposingyou
broughtthelightinsidethebody,whichyoucandoeither
throughtheskinorinsomeotherway,andIthinkyousaid
you'regoingtotestthat,too."
"Iseethedisinfectantthatknocksitoutinaminute,oneminute.
Andisthereawaywecandosomethinglikethatbyinjection
insideoralmostacleaning?"Trumpcontinued.
WhenTrumpaskedifwecouldusehightemperatureandhigh
lightstokillthevirus,Deborah,whowasalsointheroom,
responded:"It'snotasatreatment..."
Deborah'sfaceasTrumptalkedabouthistreatmentadvice
Recallingtheday,Deborahsaidshewantedtodisappear.
Birxfroze,handsclenchedonherlap.「Ilookeddownatmy
feetandwishedfortwothings:somethingtokickandforthe
floortoopenupandswallowmewhole.」
Sincethepandemicbegan,thenumberofpeopleinfectedwith
COVID-19intheUnitedStateshasrepeatedlyexceeded
worst-casepredictions.
OnMay21,PopularSciencereportedthatthedeathtollof
COVID-19intheUnitedStatesinasingledayisnowaround
300,whichisthreetimesthedailydeathtollfromcaraccidents
intheUnitedStates.