A crumbling nation under Trump

Imagine our lives today if COVID-19 had hit five years ago. Barack Obama and Joe Biden faced both the H1N1 and ebola viruses. They created a dedicated office and a concrete plan to tackle a COVID-19-like virus.

Our Health and Human Services and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were fully funded and staffed.

Donald Trump disbanded the directorate for global health security and biodefense, gutted CDC and HHS funding, and ignored warnings, leaving the U.S. perilously under-prepared to fight an influenza-like pandemic.

When COVID-19 hit, Trump repeatedly lied to us, keeping us in the dark while fully aware that COVID-19 was airborne and dangerous. When we required clear, truthful leadership to avoid exposure to COVID-19, Trump spewed lies, pressured the CDC to falsify recommendations and politicized the pandemic.

Five years ago we were a respected country; today we are the country with the highest number of COVID-19 deaths, high unemployment, a recession and upended lives.

How has Trump’s daily lying, name-calling and promotion of divisiveness and violence impacted your life? Is this the future you wish for your children and grandchildren?

Annette Roberts-Gray

Carbondale