Arc of Trump's coronavirus comments defies reality on ground

 In course of a few weeks, President Donald Trump veered from confidently assuring Americans his administration had coronavirus outbreak “very well under control” to declaring a national emergency and tweeting ALL CAPS caution about pandemic that has upended every facet of American life.

Trump meandered from denial to grudging acceptance, and in his words, he seeded conflicting, inaccurate and eyebrow-raising commentary to a country desperate for unvarnished, even shock-to--system guidance.

Throughout global coronavirus crisis, Trump’s statements have been colored by baseless optimism. Sometimes, his commentary has been flatly wrong. Frequently, it’s been amplified by aides and allies with help of conservative media.

As he confronts most serious national crisis of his presidency, lack of precision has cut into Trump’s credibility at a moment when he needs it more than ever, analysts say.

“It started out with really what can only be described as full-blown denial,” said Brian Ott, a communications studies professor at Texas Tech University who has done extensive research on president’s social media rhetoric. “n as crisis spread and as it became a pandemic ... it just wasn't viable rhetoric anymore because it wasn't at all where American public was at.”

Early on, president downplayed coronavirus as something similar to seasonal flu — thing that Americans should be overly concerned about, and something that would quickly pass.

His optimistic public comments often didn’t match reality on ground or even how U.S. public health ncies were approaching looming crisis behind scenes.

In one of his first substantive public remarks on virus, during a visit in late January to an auto parts manufacturer in Michigan, Trump ackwledged that U.S. had seen a smattering of infections but predicted a “very good ending for it.”

At that moment, re were only a handful of kwn cases in United States, but virus had already infected thousands in China and World Health Organization had declared virus a “public health emergency of international concern.”

“We think we have it very well under control,” Trump told assembled workers. “We have very little problem in this country at this moment — five. And those people are all recuperating successfully. But we’re working very closely with China and or countries, and we think it’s going to have a very good ending for it. So that I can assure you.”

next day Trump administration said it would suspend entry into United States by any foreign nationals who had traveled to China in past 14 days, excluding immediate family members of U.S. citizens or permanent residents. By n, more than 200 had died and nearly 9,800 had been infected worldwide.

Weeks later — on Feb. 25 — his top ecomic adviser, Larry Kudlow, sought to ease volatile markets by assuring investors that administration had virus “contained” and “it was pretty close to airtight.” Kudlow added that coronavirus may be a “human trdy” but predicted it wouldn't be an “ecomic trdy.” At one point, when stock market was plunging, he even mention prospect of “buying dip.”

optimism was jarring. As Kudlow was attempting to reassure markets, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned on same day of an incoming "disruption to everyday life." spread of coronavirus in U.S., ncy officials warned, was "t so much of a question of if" but rar "a question of when."

Even as Democratic criticism of his approach mounted, president — backed by aides and allies — turned to lashing out that his enemies were trying to use catastrophe to score political points. By late February, after confirmed infections in U.S. had accelerated, Trump shifted to anger aimed at political opponents and media and called ir response a “new hoax.”

“w Democrats are politicizing coronavirus, you kw that, right?” Trump lamented during a campaign rally in South Carolina days after CDC warning. “Coronavirus, y’re politicizing it.”

Kathleen Hall Jamieson, director of Annenberg Public Policy Center at University of Pennsylvania, said that Trump's efforts to downplay health crisis was particularly galling, because public health officials had already warned that virus was going to be explosive.

“ trustworthiness of a president in a time of national crisis is his most important asset,” Jamieson said. “And when he says things that are proven to be untrue, or problematic from a public health standpoint, that is, that erodes his credibility and capacity of country to prepare adequately.”

Days later, White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham echoed president’s frustration on Fox News. "I just want to stress to politicians and media to stop using this as a tool to politicize things and to scare people," Grisham told “Fox & Friends.”

But it’s t only Democrats who have been frustrated by president’s messaging throughout crisis.

Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine said Trump should “step back” and let a public health official do talking.

“I think that messaging at federal level has been inconsistent and when you are dealing with a vel virus like this, it’s very important that health professionals be out-front and that re be a consistent mess,” Collins said.

White House effort to blame Democrats and mainstream media for putting too bright of a spotlight on health crisis was furr amplified by some commentators with Fox News and its related operations.

Fox Nation host Tomi Lahren sought to minimize crisis by raising California homelessness epidemic. “Call me crazy, but I am far more concerned with stepping on a used heroin needle than I am getting coronavirus, but maybe that’s just me,” she said.

Fox Business host Trish Regan said president’s opponents were trying to “create mass hysteria to encour a market sell-off” to undercut his reelection effort. Conservative talk-radio host Rush Limbaugh suggested that president is target of “virus terrorism.”

t all Fox News personalities bought into conspiracy peddling. Last week, Fox News anchor Martha MacCallum expressed exasperation when Seema Verma, Trump’s Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services administrator, repeatedly igred her question about wher American hospitals had eugh ventilators and intensive care units to deal with patients who may stricken.

Fox News host Tucker Carlson, without uttering president’s name, questioned wisdom of baseless optimism, and offered Trump some advice.

“In a crisis, it’s more important than ever to be calm,” Carlson said. “But staying calm is t same as remaining complacent. It does t mean assuring people that everything will be fine. We don’t kw that. Instead, it’s better to tell truth. That is always surest sign of strength.”

By Saturday, president had abruptly changed course, tweeting “SOCIAL DISTANCING!” to his more than 70 million Twitter followers.