What
happens with the American people? Trump created a mirage, and they are happily
drinking sand
A lot of
clever people have been predicting that the coronavirus pandemic will be a turning point for
anything from globalisation, statehood, liberalism, economic and social systems
to the environment, economic and cultural habits and even music.
But US President Donald Trump is failing to turn. In fact, he refuses to turn.
Instead, he
insists on sticking to the same trajectory that helped him win the last
elections, disregarding what damage it may inflict on America and Americans
amid the coronavirus outbreak.
In the
deepening health and socioeconomic crisis, he sees an opportunity to project
himself as the indispensable leader of a vulnerable nation.
To quote a
line from Aaron Sorkin's film classic, The American President: "People
want leadership, and in the absence of genuine leadership, they'll listen to
anyone who steps up to the microphone. They want leadership […] They're so
thirsty for it they'll crawl through the desert toward a mirage, and when they
discover there's no water, they'll drink the sand."
And sand is
basically all it has been ever since Trump embarked on using the coronavirus
crisis to dominate the national debate, rise in the polls, and make his way
towards a second term.
The vibe
and the virus
From the
outset, Trump misled the nation about the imminent danger of a coronavirus
outbreak. In February, a month into the epidemic, he was reassuring the public
that there was nothing to worry about, that all was under control.
And
although he now denies it, Trump is on the record repeatedly underestimating
the virus's contagion, deadliness and disruption.
The
question is, why? Why did he insist that the pandemic was under
"tremendous control" and that the number of
those infected would be brought down to zero?
Judging by
his usual erratic behaviour, it is more likely he was driven by sheer ignorance
and arrogance than by wise statesmanship - by his eagerness to save
the stock market rather than his concern with saving lives.
Needless to
say, arrogance breeds ignorance, just as ignorance breeds arrogance, and both
spell danger.
As the
infections grew in number, Trump decided to personally dominate the evening
news with his regular prime-time press conferences, and succeeded in dictating
the news agenda despite his mixed messages, mumbled utterances, falsehoods, and
overall poor performance.
With an
eager, anxious nation, seeking guidance and comfort from its leader, he quickly
gained the upper hand, racking up high TV ratings and even claimed (falsely)
that he was "number one" on Facebook.
And to the
astonishment of his detractors, his own ratings also went up five points in the
polls by the end of March.
In other
words, Trump was being rewarded for his failure to fully understand the
implications of the coronavirus outbreak and prepare the country early on to
reduce the damage.
While this
bump in the polls was still lower than the double-digit bumps gained by other
Western leaders, which is expected in a time of crisis, it was more than
sufficient to overshadow the Democrats' presumptive presidential nominee, Joe
Biden, who by mid-March had gone into a self-imposed quarantine.
Trump did
not stem the spread of the virus as hundreds of thousands became infected, but
he was able to shape the news vibe.
When asked
on March 16 to rate his performance on the job, Trump did not hesitate. It was
a 10, he insisted. That is - 10 out of 10.
But if he
was so brilliant and successful, who was then to blame for
the unfolding epidemic, the ill-preparedness, the mounting fatalities, the
rising unemployment and the looming economic recession?
The blamer-in-chief
As the
crisis deepened, America's commander-in-chief morphed into the blamer-in-chief,
projecting his failures on anyone but himself or his administration, as any
self-respecting populist leader would.
The first
to be blamed were those journalists sitting in front of him
and the "fake news" outlets they represent. The national press
conferences that were meant to inform and clarify have turned into theatres of
the absurd, as a conceited president faced off with constipated journalists. Trump
humiliated senior White House correspondents, criticised their questions,
and questioned their motives.
He also
blamed his predecessor, President Barack Obama and the "do-nothing
Democrats" for the lack of protective medical gear and equipment and
many governors who complained about the administration's incompetence.
Trump also
went on a global blaming campaign, accusing Beijing of being responsible
for the pandemic, his European allies of failing to stop the outbreak early,
and more recently, the World Health Organization (WHO), of acting late and
spreading wrong information.
Any
suggestions that he may have gravely erred, especially by closing the White
House pandemic office set up by his predecessor in 2016, were immediately
deflected and disparaged.
The 'war
president'
While
dodging blame for the looming public health disaster in the US, Trump also
sought to rally the nation behind his presidency by declaring himself a
"war president".
The media
had been quick to draw parallels between the pandemic and the Pearl Harbor
attack in 1941 or the 9/11 attacks in 2001, so the incumbent jumped at the
opportunity, hoping to replicate the success of his predecessors, Franklyn D
Roosevelt and George W Bush, who won, respectively, a fourth and a second term
by mobilising the nation under a war flag.
If Trump is to secure re-election, however, he will need to
stay on the offensive into the summer and beyond in order to maintain the
momentum. So, even if the curve of coronavirus infections flattens in the next
few months, the US president will likely double down on his inflammatory
language, incitement and his America First doctrine as the only way forward for
the country.
He will continue to ride the nationalistic wave, by
advocating for closed borders and travel bans, reminding everyone it was he,
against the advice of most, who shut down travel from China before the
coronavirus outbreak became a pandemic, and only he could be trusted with
containing China's economic and military power.
Will his strategy work, or will Americans insist on
assigning responsibility for their misfortunes?
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