More than 150,000 Americans have lost their lives because of the coronavirus, but instead of focusing on containing the spike of new infections he caused by rushing states to reopen, Trump remains focused on distorting the severity of the pandemic. Trump’s failed leadership allowed the coronavirus to get out of control, and now he’s threatening to prolong this crisis and cause even more deaths.

More than 150,000 Americans have lost their lives because of the coronavirus, more than any other country in the world. 

Associated Press: BREAKING: Confirmed deaths from the coronavirus in the U.S. have hit 150,000, by far the highest toll in the world, according to the tally kept by Johns Hopkins University.

As Trump continues to claim the coronavirus pandemic is under control and “starting to head down in the right direction,” the seven-day rolling average of American deaths has risen above 1,000 again, and hospitalizations are increasing in several states, with Arizona, Florida, and Texas running out of ICU beds.

CNN’s Ryan Struyk: “The seven-day rolling average of daily US coronavirus deaths has climbed above 1,000 for the first time in almost two months, according to data from CNN and Johns Hopkins University.”

NPR: “An NPR analysis of new COVID-19 cases and hospital capacity shows that in addition to well-known hot spots like Arizona, Texas and Florida, there’s cause for concern in other parts of the country, too. Places like southwest Louisiana, eastern Washington state and Boise, Idaho, have had to shuffle patients between hospitals in order to ensure everyone can get a bed.”

A recent report from the federal government urged Trump to impose more restrictions in 21 ‘red zone’ states, yet Trump pushed them to reopen. 

New York Times: “The report, which was dated July 26, recommended that more restrictions be put in place in ‘red zone’ states. But on Monday, a day later, President Trump called for more states to reopen.”

Trump is gambling with more lives by demanding students go back to school without necessary safety precautions and encouraging young adults to return to work, even as evidence grows that younger people are infecting more vulnerable older Americans they share a home with. 

Washington Post: “As the death toll escalates in coronavirus hot spots, evidence is growing that young people who work outside the home, or who surged into bars and restaurants when states relaxed shutdowns, are infecting their more vulnerable elders, especially family members.”

Experts agree that wearing a mask is one of the best ways the public can reduce further spread of coronavirus. Trump’s refusal to advocate mask-wearing for months and promotion of unsound medical advice on the issue has only complicated efforts to slow the spread of the virus. 

Washington Post: “The result, experts say, is a country that squandered one of its best opportunities to beat back the coronavirus pandemic this spring and summer. In the process, the United States fell far behind other nations that skipped the fuss over masks, costing lives and jeopardizing the recovery heading into the fall.”

New York Times: “In a video posted Monday online, a group of people calling themselves ‘America’s Frontline Doctors’ and wearing white medical coats spoke against the backdrop of the Supreme Court in Washington, sharing misleading claims about the virus, including that hydroxychloroquine was an effective coronavirus treatment and that masks did not slow the spread of the virus. The video did not appear to be anything special. But within six hours, President Trump and his son Donald Trump Jr. had tweeted versions of it, and the right-wing news site Breitbart had shared it. It went viral.”

The Trump administration was slow to respond to the coronavirus, and Trump’s own CDC director admitted that they were behind in recognizing the coronavirus threat from Europe. 

CNN: “‘The introduction from Europe happened before we realized what was happening,’ Redfield said. ‘By the time we realized (the) Europe threat and shut down travel to Europe, there was probably already two or three weeks of 60,000 people coming back every day from Europe,’ he added. ‘That’s where the large seeding came in the Unites States.’”