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Trump claims that he, not the state governors, have the ultimate authority to reopen the American economy. Actually, he is wrong. The Tenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution states, "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.” 

Here we have a president who ignored warnings by prominent health care officials and scientists that a COVID-19 epidemic/pandemic was likely. Finally, Trump did issue a Declaration of National Emergency but refused to issue a nationwide shelter-in-place order, saying that it was up to the 50 individual states to deal with the pandemic. 

Trump took no leadership role in ensuring nationwide testing, and did not take charge of securing and distributing masks, personal protective equipment, or other necessary equipment. Instead, he holds daily briefing full of disinformation and misinformation. How many lives were needlessly lost by Trump’s failure of leadership? 

States like California stepped in with quick, decisive action, while others were very slow to act. Eight states still do not have statewide shelter-in-place orders. 

Now with the economy in shambles, he blames others, including China and the World Health Organization for his own shortcomings. 

Now Trump wants to look presidential by taking charge by reopening the economy. The danger is that he will make a political decision, rather than a scientifically-based one, which could lead to a resurgence of the epidemic. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government’s top infectious disease expert, said on April 15 that the U.S. does not yet have the critical testing and tracing procedures needed to begin reopening the nation’s economy, adding a cautionary note to Trump’s optimistic projections. 

In short, we are experiencing a colossal failure of leadership.