Trump’s Coronavirus Response Gets Failing Marks

This morning on Fox & Friends, Trump claimed his coronavirus response deserves an “A+.” But in reality, the country is nearing 200,000 deaths, cases are rising in more than half the states, and millions of Americans are still out of work and struggling to put food on the table. Here’s a look at Trump’s latest report card:

F — 200,000 dead Americans, far more than any other country.

CNN: “The United States is closing in on the somber milestone of 200,000 deaths, according to the latest tally from Johns Hopkins University. The US has reported more than 6.8 million cases since the pandemic began.”

F — Cases increasing in more than half of the states.

CNN: “Despite making progress after a difficult summer, most of the US is heading in the wrong direction again as the nation closes in on 200,000 Covid-19 deaths. In 31 states, the number of new Covid-19 cases has increased by at least 10% this past week compared to the previous week, according to data Sunday from Johns Hopkins University.

F — Contradicting public health experts.

New York Times: “Instead, Adm. Brett Brett P. Giroir, who heads up national testing efforts, and Alex M. Azar II, the secretary of health and human services, offered a slightly more conservative timetable for vaccine availability. Both seemed to defend the forecasts made by experts including Dr. Robert Redfield, the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, who was publicly rebuked by the president for estimating that an effective vaccine may not be widely available to the general public until the middle of next year.”

F — Potentially interfering in vaccine development and undermining trust.

New York Times: “In a stunning declaration of authority, Alex M. Azar II, the secretary of health and human services, this week barred the nation’s health agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration, from signing any new rules regarding the nation’s foods, medicines, medical devices and other products, including vaccines.”

ABC News: “Majority of Americans report no confidence in Trump to confirm vaccine safety, effectiveness: POLL”

Pew Research: “Three-quarters of Americans (77%) think it’s very or somewhat likely a COVID-19 vaccine will be approved in the United States before its safety and effectiveness are fully understood.”

F — Millions of children going hungry.

Politico: “Millions of low-income children are likely to miss out on special benefits that help their families buy groceries this month because the Trump administration has imposed eligibility requirements that prevent some states from getting the payments out before the money expires.”

F — Increasing weekly unemployment claims.

Axios: “Americans were starting to fall off the rolls of unemployment. But Thursday’s claims report shows the drop-off hasn’t just stalled out — the trend continues to reverse course.”