Donald's Coronavirus Dreams

Crises bring out the best and worst of leaders and underscore their talents and flaws. While leadership takes on a different definition across societies, competent and incompetent leaders are easy to identify during this time. Some leaders have excelled, dulling the fear, disease, and death that have come along with the coronavirus pandemic. Others, however, have blundered dismally, which will prove to have long term social, health, and economic reverberations.

A prime example of poor leadership during the coronavirus is displayed by none other than President Donald Trump. The common denominator throughout his presidency has been the rejection of facts, a trend that poses obvious downfalls in a situation that revolves around science. Guided by delusion, the Trump administration’s response to the pandemic highlights Trump’s embarrassing inability to distinguish between facts and wishful thinking. Most presidents and political parties would notice the repercussions of their faulty decisions and chance course. But not Trump and his minions, none of which are willing to contradict him. They remain unfazed by the rising death toll, which is already in the hundreds of thousands in the U.S. alone, and blatantly disregard for expertise and evidence. 

Directing the blame to China, the UN, the media, and BLM, Trump targets those who resist or counter his agenda. He remains fixated on the reopening of the economy, which is of course important, but not at the cost of human lives. The economy is also one of the main reasons why his supporters glorify him, regardless of his actual lack of positive impact on the economy. The BLM movement, many media outlets, and the UN are notoriously anti-Trump or at least in support of the institutions/policies/groups that he is against. By blaming these groups, Trump has turned this deadly pandemic into a tool for his own political gain. He aims to create further divisiveness during the coronavirus while crediting himself with far too much praise, none of which he is deserving of. Trump’s leadership, or lack thereof, during the coronavirus further exposes his narcissism, ignorance, and divisive nature. 

Both Trump and Jair Bolsonaro can always be relied on for leadership tainted by secretiveness, narcissism, arrogance, impulsiveness, and, above all, the notion that they are above science (in comparison to Merkel’s simultaneous, evidence-driven response that has had an incomprehensibly more successful outcome). Both have flippantly dismissed the virus and refused to wear masks while discounting the growing numbers and glorifying themselves. They have also been oddly adamant about reopening the economy in the midst of a global pandemic that has already claimed hundreds of thousands of lives. Bolsonaro and Trump’s inconsistency and willingness to experiment with citizens’ lives make them fundamentally weak and irresponsible leaders, especially given these circumstances

Boris Johnson, who can be described as the British Donald Trump, has also delivered inconsistent messages throughout the pandemic. From the onset of the virus, he lacked concrete plans to combat the looming and inevitable arrival of the coronavirus, unlike other northern European countries that laid out specific and effective measures early on. Johnson’s brilliant plan was an idea that had been tossed around in other countries but never fully utilized due to its clear implications during a pandemic. He suggested that British citizens continue their normal lives until herd immunity would eventually take effect. Days later, as the cases escalated, he thankfully made the decision to order a lockdown but his initial self-contradiction had already caused utter chaos. Britain’s lack of solid leadership from its prime minister forced the country to rely on Queen Elizabeth to pose as a stable leader, especially with Johnson’s own battle with the virus. He had to be targeted personally to comprehend the severity of the crisis and to take adequate measures. Like Trump, Johnson’s already lackluster leadership failed to emerge during this crucial time. Understating and distracting from the elephant in the room, these showmen played to headlines and laughs while the coronavirus wreaked havoc in their countries.

On the flip side, Jacinda Arden has proved to be a phenomenal leader during this crisis with a leadership style rooted in empathy. Not clinging to misinformation and haughtiness, she recognized the severity of the situation and responded rationally, appropriately, and somberly while maintaining a comforting tone. Rather than preaching to New Zealanders about the coronavirus, she stood with them, taking a 20% pay cut in solidarity with those who have lost their jobs due to the economic recession. She has consistently placed emphasis on the humanity of the situation and, most movingly, herself. Delivering an address from her home in a worn sweatshirt moments after putting her young daughter to bed, Arden does not place herself on a pedestal in the way that Trump does. Her interactions and communications with citizens are fundamentally real. Trump, on the other hand, takes crises as photo opportunities and remains catastrophically disconnected from both reality and American citizens. 

Also showcasing outstanding leadership, Angela Merkel has showcased frankness and transparency that, from this side of this Atlantic, is refreshingly honest. At one of the earliest news briefings regarding the outbreak, Merkel warned of the possibility that up to 70% of Germans could become infected. Science-minded and having extensive experience in STEM (Merkel studied physics and has a doctorate in quantum chemistry), she exemplifies the benefits of having background knowledge as a leader. Merkel’s response to the coronavirus crisis has been extremely level-headed and her decision making has been rooted in logic and evidence, compared to Trump’s dismissal of scientific evidence and circuslike briefings. Merkel’s addresses appropriately lack the self-congratulatory luster present in Macron’s, Johnson’s, and Trump’s speeches. Rather than closing with something similar to a “God bless America” or “Vive la France!”, Merkel recalled the direness of the situation and the individuality of each citizen with a sincere and sobering “take good care of yourselves and your loved ones.”

Nations led by women have been particularly successful in combating the coronavirus. With the overwhelming sexism in politics, it is nearly impossible for an unqualified woman to be elected into office, meaning that female world leaders are in their position because they deserve to be. There simply aren’t any female versions of Boris Johnson, Jair Bolsonaro, or Donald Trump in such positions of power because we don’t allow women to fumble in the way that these men have so destructively done. If male political candidates were scrutinized to the same degree that women are, it is likely that we would have seen far more qualified leaders during the coronavirus.

Given that it is so difficult for women to ascend the ranks in politics, it can be assumed that countries with female prime ministers or presidents have generally more progressive and inclusive values, both of which the U.S. desperately claims to have but severely lacks. America isn’t leftist enough to concern itself with the greater good and public safety over the economy and convenience. The government is currently comprised of incompetent white Republicans led by the conservative dream - a 74-year old bigoted billionaire with countless sexual assault allegations and horrifically xenophobic, homophobic, racist, transphobic, sexist, and Islamaphobic tendencies. 

The coronavirus’s destruction of normalcy has effectively exposed the standouts among world leaders. As we witness the errors of some politicians, and the excellence of others, it can be hoped that nations elect qualified leaders with traits exemplified by leaders such as Merkel and Arden. Electing ignorant and substandard individuals such as Bolsonaro, Trump, and Johnson can only end in a circus-like, chaotic mess.