As the coronavirus crisis in the United States continues to worsen, cases and deaths hit new record highs, hospitals reach capacity, and the vaccine rollout falls short, Trump is nowhere to be found. Instead of doing anything to lead the response and save lives, Trump has continued to undermine his own public health experts and lie about the reality of the coronavirus. 

Coronavirus deaths and cases continue to reach record highs as new infections spike in states across the country. 

Associated Press: “The COVID-19 death toll in the United States has surpassed 350,000 as experts anticipate another surge in coronavirus cases and deaths stemming from holiday gatherings over Christmas and New Year’s. … Multiple states have reported a record number of cases over the past few days, including North Carolina and Arizona. Mortuary owners in hard-hit Southern California say they’re being inundated with bodies.”

NPR: “The United States has reached a sobering milestone while marking the new year. On Friday, the first day of 2021, the U.S. recorded its 20 millionth confirmed coronavirus case since the beginning of the pandemic.”

The spike in new cases has pushed hospitals across the country closer to the limit, overwhelming health care workers.

Wall Street Journal: “Across the nation, the surge of coronavirus cases is crowding large metro hospitals with Covid-19 patients, pushing occupancy against the limits of space and overwhelming nurses and doctors. More than 40% to 60% of ICU patients in some metro areas are critically ill from Covid-19, according to an analysis of federal data by the University of Minnesota Hospitalization Tracking Project. … As large hospitals fill, they close to local ambulances as well as most patient transfers, creating a far-reaching strain on regional heath-care networks.”

And frustration continues growing among health experts and providers as Trump’s vaccination effort falls short by millions of doses. 

CBS News: “The Trump administration has fallen far behind on its initial pledge to vaccinate 20 million Americans by the end of 2020, with under 3 million people receiving COVID-19 vaccinations out of the 14 million doses that have shipped. … The Health and Human Services Department said Tuesday it has allocated 19.88 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine through the end of December. But allocation isn’t the same as delivering the doses. Allocated vaccines must still be shipped out to destinations picked by states, and in some cases redistributed by state and local health authorities before health care providers giving the shots can begin to prepare their first doses.”

Yet Trump, who is still downplaying the threat and contradicting health experts instead of combatting the pandemic, spent the weekend lying about the number of COVID cases in the country. 

CNN: “Earlier Sunday, Trump claimed on Twitter that the number of cases and deaths of the ‘China Virus is far exaggerated’ because of the CDC’s ‘ridiculous method of determination’ compared to other countries, which ‘report, purposely, very inaccurately and low.’ … Dr. Anthony Fauci, a member of the White House’s coronavirus task force, also pushed back against the President’s claim on Sunday when asked about it, telling ABC News that ‘the deaths are real deaths.’”