Testing Shortages Show the Trump Response Is Still Playing Catch-Up
The biggest screwup on March 18 was not a single announcement but the visible gap between the virus’s spread and the federal response. Even as the White House tried to talk up new steps, the day’s coverage and official materials made clear that testing capacity, supplies, and coordination were still badly strained. That left governors, hospitals, and the public with the same basic problem: a national emergency that was moving faster than the government. The political damage was obvious because this was no longer a theoretical failure; it was the operational core of the response failing in public.
First recorded Mar 18, 2020·Meaningfully updated Mar 18, 2020
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Testing Shortages Show the Trump Response Is Still Playing Catch-Up
The biggest screwup on March 18 was not a single announcement but the visible gap between the virus’s spread and the federal response. Even as the White House tried to talk up new steps, the day’s coverage and official materials made clear that testing capacity, supplies, and coordination were still badly strained. That left governors, hospitals, and the public with the same basic problem: a national emergency that was moving faster than the government. The political damage was obvious because …
The biggest screwup on March 18 was not a single announcement but the visible gap between the virus’s spread and the federal response. Even as the White House tried to talk up new steps, the day’s coverage and official materials made clear that testing capacity, supplies, and coordination were still badly strained. That left governors, hospitals, and the public with the same basic problem: a national emergency that …
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