Complacency and blame game do not suit the US role as a 'responsible' superpower

“It’s not our fault.” “I am not taking the responsibility at all.” “Obama administration’s response to the swine flu outbreak is a very big failure.” … It’s everyone else’s fault, except US President Donald Trump and his administration.

When the clock moved into March, as the COVID-19 curve started to climb up in the United States, President Trump delivered repeated messages to the public that his administration has nothing to do with the spread of the pandemic. Rather, it should take credits for setting up early bans on travels.

As the number of cases in the US soared, people realized that the superpower that was supposed to provide help to others became the hardest-hit country in the world.

Despite the serious situation, Trump was still down-playing the risks and diverting public attention, by calling it first a “foreign virus,” and then a “Chinese virus.”

Purposely ignoring the name defined by the World Health Organization, Trump disgracefully coined a term to stigmatize not only a nation but an ethnic group that includes Chinese-Americans.

In April, the Trump administration found another scapegoat — WHO, which he accused of being slow in responding to the pandemic.

During a press briefing on April 14, Trump’s entire remark was targeting the WHO, accusing it of “severely mismanaging and covering up the spread of the coronavirus” and blaming it for the “tremendous death and economic devastation” suffered by countries all over the world.

Everyone knows that the WHO, as an international organization, has no authority over governments, and the organization’s function is to provide guidance and keep nations informed.

Warnings unheeded

In spite of this, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO director general, held almost daily news briefings since January 22, warning about the deadly threat of novel coronavirus and calling all nations to take all possible actions to prevent the epidemic from spreading.

On January 30, a public health emergency was declared. But what has the US been doing ever since? “Hold rallies, play golf and compare the coronavirus to the common flu,” according to a report by the Guardian.

Trump said the WHO’s faulty recommendation caused the suffering and deaths. Why can’t he just review what he has always been saying to the public — “low risk,” “very low risk,” “it’s like a flu” — even after the WHO declared the global pandemic?

And when did the US administration call for exercising “social distancing?” Not until middle of March, more than 40 days after the WHO declared the global pandemic!

Who is guilty of delayed response?

“We are ready.” “Our team is the best anywhere in the world.” “No nation is more prepared or more resilient than the United States.” Trump has ensured his people by guaranteeing that the US has the full capacity to respond to the pandemic.

What happened later on is the lack of nearly everything: PPE (personal protective equipment), hospital beds, testing equipment and masks, even though the US administration had been warned of the outbreak long ago.

Obviously, “the best team” failed to build up the protection line for American people. And then Trump announced to withhold funding to the WHO, saying the US would be reevaluating the US$400-500 million it spends each year on the WHO. According to the WHO, the United States provided 14.67 percent of its funding in 2018-2019.

Finding another scapegoat

So the Trump administration threatened to halt funding to WHO for its not being favorable to the US? The message that it is sending to the world is: Since I contribute to your funding, you should do my bidding.

Politicalizing an issue concerning human lives, tearing down global solidarity, all for the sake of deflecting domestic criticism?

Blaming China, and then the WHO, and what next? The state governors.

The wrestling between Trump administration and state governors started from the day when the country declared the emergency.

He blamed some governors for being “greedy,” “not grateful” and it was governors’ responsibility to make sure they have enough ventilators.

Targeting New York governor Andrew Cuomo, whom Trump said “shouldn’t be complaining because we gave him a lot of ventilators … The problem is with some people, no matter what you give, it’s never enough. It’s never enough.”

Trump also argued over who has the final say about reopening the economy.

When some states decided to form regional alliances to coordinate reopening schools and businesses after the coronavirus outbreak subsides, Trump declared that he, not the governors, has the “total” authority on the issue of reopening the economy.

He said “the president of the United States has the authority to do what the president has the authority to do, which is very powerful.”

But the next day Trump said it’s “up to governors” to decide when to reopen their states — very confusing indeed.

Obviously, the sole strategy of the Trump administration, which values its own interests above everything else, is to blame others, and the administration has proved its adeptness at this, many times.

The author is a Chinese freelancer based in Massachusetts, the US. The views expressed in this article are her own.