To avoid "panic", Trump ignited the fire

President Trump's revelations illustrate new revelations that he deliberately reduced the risks of the coronavirus: he says he did not want to spread panic.

Experts say Trump had another option: to calmly, but accurately, explain to Americans what he could do to reduce the risks and dangers associated with the epidemic.

Excerpts from well-known journalist Bob Woodward's forthcoming book, Rage and Wrath, have raised questions about him this week. It is said’. Could have saved lives

The preview of the book, released Wednesday, included a tape by Trump telling Woodward in March: "I've always wanted to play it. I still like to play it, because I'm not nervous. I want to. " "

In a separate interview in early February, Trump said: "It's more deadly than your hard floss."

This was in stark contrast to Trump's public statements at the time about reducing the virus and clearly comparing it to the flu.

Asked Wednesday if he had misled the public, Trump replied: "I think if you said to reduce the panic, 'maybe that's it.'

But public health experts say there was a middle ground between misleading the virus and spreading panic, which Trump can accept: telling people what the government is doing to address the threat. What else can people do?

"People are intelligent and very flexible," said Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association. "If you tell them what's going on, you can do it in a way that doesn't bother them."

Bill Heinz Chen, an epidemiologist at the Harvard TH School of Public Health, wrote on Twitter that the best way to reduce anxiety is to "honestly present the reality of the situation and reassure people that you can eliminate the disorder and Working to minimize.”

"Failure to prepare for a real threat is not responsible," he added. Knowing a real danger that you * know * is not terrible. It's reckless. "

However, Trump has reduced the risk of epidemics to epidemics over the months.

"It's getting away," Trump said on Fox & Friends last month.

He is rallying in front of a large crowd, without many masks, and rarely wearing a mask himself. At one such rally last week, he made fun of his opponent, Joe Biden, wearing a facemask.

"Have you ever seen someone who likes a mask as much as he does?" Speaking of Biden, Trump said he was "for everyone" to wear a mask.

On the policy side, too, the Trump administration has strongly criticized the issuance of new investigative guidelines by experts unless it recommends banning the display of rude individuals unless they are "weak." Or no local health department recommends it.

In the early days of the epidemic, even health professionals sometimes made mistakes, for example wearing a mask was initially recommended’ which later became an important means of reducing the spread of the virus. ۔ was, done.

But until early April, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was recommending people wear masks, which Trump has resisted for months. He was not shown wearing it until July, and has now returned wearing it.

If Trump had issued a warning about the virus soon, Benjamin said, "the more people wear masks, the more socially isolated people become, the more people take this risk."

He added: "I'm sure very few people will get sick.

Trump continues to strike in an optimistic tone, especially pointing to progress on a vaccine, although it is not yet clear when someone will be ready.

"You'll soon see with vaccines and treatments, what we did was incredible," Trump said Wednesday.

He also hinted at an initial ban on travel from China in late January, which has allowed the virus to spread in the country.

"We shouldn't have lost anyone. It went to Europe. It went all over the world. It should never have happened," Trump said.

"We had to calm down," he added.

Former Assistant Secretary of Health in the Obama administration, Howard Koh, said it is "unpleasant to confront the harsh realities of health as much as he can", providing health professionals with a public platform, a public health platform. While doing Important part

The CDC does not regularly summarize the epidemic, and Trump has repeatedly clashed with the government's top infectious disease specialist, Anthony Fauci.

"They should give him a White House platform every day, so that he and other top leaders can provide the people with the permanent, evidence-based guidance we all need," Koh said of Foucault. Deserving

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