May 3, 2020 5 min read

President Trump is fond of referring to the COVID-19 pandemic as the plague. Like many of his science-related pronouncements, this is a misstatement. Plague is an infectious disease caused by a bacterium. COVID-19 is a novel coronavirus.

If the president’s intent is to frighten, using the term plague is certainly more ominous than infectious disease. The black plague killed 50 million people in the 14th century. In biblical terms the 10 plagues that struck Egypt and the seven described in Revelation are onerous enough to convince many of us to stay at home for a month or two.

Trump’s use of the word plague is but a symptom of the ill-conceived plan he is following to handle the greatest crisis of his presidency. In keeping with his claims that he is smarter than the generals, diplomats, intelligence specialists and scientists, the solutions to the pandemic had to be uniquely his alone. Moreover, Trump’s mindset guarantees that his approach favors short-term political goals rather than sound medical or economic ones. This led to a cascade of missteps that threaten his presidency more than the Mueller Report or the impeachment proceedings.

First, the plan was to protect the economy and keep the numbers of reported infections down by limiting testing and dismissing the pandemic as a hoax. Next was the attempt to close the borders, while thousands of our own citizens hurried home from Asia and Europe with coronavirus in their systems. This was followed by blaming the outbreak on the Chinese, World Health Organization and states with Democratic governors.

According to Trump, any action taken by the White House was “the best.” He has insisted the governors who received uneven doles of federal aid praise him. Any media attempt to question a task force policy or Trump statement was dismissed as partisan politics. Finally, he began improvising from the White House press room and proposed untested and quack cures for the disease. He was looking to take personal credit, if his controversial theories proved useful. Instead, the medical community roundly criticized him, and his presidential bully pulpit was reduced to a laughingstock.

For years Trump has been able to control his political base by convincing them that his version of the truth was of a higher value than the media’s fact-checked truth. Now his version of the truth is often at odds with his own task force and scientists. Moreover, during the crisis he has often changed his position 180 degrees from day to day, leaving his supporters to wonder what policy represents the party line.

What is amazing about the president’s approach to the pandemic is that other elected officials around the world, both democratic and authoritarian, have used the crisis to demonstrate leadership, consolidate power and silence criticism of past behaviors. In our country, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has become a symbol of a steady hand guiding citizens through this medical and economic tsunami. Before the pandemic Cuomo was considered an old-school, charmless power broker, despised by progressives and tolerated by everyone else.

In India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has used the pandemic to strengthen his hold on the world’s largest democracy. In his bid to make India a “Hindu first” country, Muslims and members of the lowest castes have been accused of being super-spreaders of the virus. Taking advantage of the chaos and fear, Modi has used the police and army to enforce the lockdown. His government has utilized archaic laws against sedition to arrest and silence its critics, including members of the press. The story is the same in numerous illiberal democracies and authoritarian regimes.

Somehow, the president squandered his opportunity to bring the country together against a common nemesis. With this opportunity to demonstrate leadership, he should now be the odds on favorite to win the upcoming election. Instead, his lack of empathy, self-serving statements and dangerous medical suggestions are flattening his popularity curve faster than the disease curve itself.

I recently revisited Albert Camus’ classic novel, “The Plague.” The book depicts the trials of ordinary citizens in the coastal African city of Oran during a new infestation of the bubonic plague. In the background of a wonderful allegorical story is the development of Camus’ philosophy of “ordinary heroism.” Camus describes the citizens of Oran, who insist on a “dedication to ordinary life” through a thousand acts of decency and respect for each other. The doctors, nurses, mail carriers, and even the bureaucrats demonstrate heroism as ordinary citizens, not through acts of superhuman greatness.

As I read the novel and considered the American experience over the past weeks, ordinary heroism seemed the perfect description of what we are most proud of as citizens. We have witnessed millions of heroes from the hospitals, to the grocery stores, to mass transit all doing what they are trained to do, with great risk to themselves, bringing out the best in humanity.

When this is behind us I hope I continue to remember the plague. Not the president’s image of fire and brimstone that he has sought to conquer through his own individual efforts like a modern-day Moses. I want to remember Camus and his beautiful missive that reminds me that it takes an entire population of heroes fighting for normalcy to conquer a disease that threatens all of us with equal indiscrimination.

Gary Stout is a Washington attorney.