"We were very prepared. The only thing we weren't prepared for was the media," President Trump said at a coronavirus press briefing on March 19. And somehow he managed to say it with a straight face.
To be clear, the virus itself can be blamed on no one. But that America did not have a tiny fraction of the testing kits it needed, had no plan in place to combat a pandemic that came with immense warning, and that the president's administration downplayed the threat for weeks as people got sicker and the virus spread… these are not the media's fault.
They're Donald Trump's fault.
Trump who refused testing kits when the World Health Organization offered them, Trump who disbanded America's pandemic response team, Trump who was more concerned about the falling stock market than in saving lives — He did not create the virus, but he made the situation horrifically worse.
Now is not the time for him to point fingers, lie, or gaslight. Now is the time to own up to mistakes, fix them, and do everything possible to chart the best course forward that will save the most lives and end this pandemic.
Add your name to tell to stop scapegoating the media and start working to combat this pandemic. This is not their fault, Mr. President. It's yours!
