TRUMP: 'I Was Wrong to Downplay the Pandemic. The Truth is, We're All Going to Die.'

After news broke yesterday, about President Trump revealing the truth behind the COVID-19 pandemic that has claimed nearly one million lives (many of which are Americans), the President quickly made a pivot in how he talked about the deadly virus.

"We're all going to die!", the President said at his press briefing. "Folks, there is really no good way to put it. The China virus is a grave threat to humanity and our future looks very bleak. Very bleak. And honestly, I'm not even sure what we're doing here."

Then, speaking to Dr. Scott Atlas, the President continued, "Scott, can you tell us if we should be here? We probably shouldn't be wasting the short time we have left on this earth, sitting at a press conference, right? I mean, I don't know. Maybe we should maybe we shouldn't, but we should probably be at home, with our families, enjoying whatever short time we have left to live."

This is a drastic contrast from the President's efforts over the span of the pandemic, which has lasted for months. President Trump, a self-proclaimed optimist, has usually taken a more cavalier approach towards the virus and those calling for more serious leadership and action from the White House.

"Today's change in tone and message was a real shock", said one reporter we spoke to from The Washington Post. "I mean, yesterday we came at the administration very hard, with questions and accusations about why President Trump feels it's OK to lie to the American people. Then today, he walks into the room and hits us with this harsh truth. It's really pretty unsettling, honestly. I'm literally sick to my stomach."

We reached out to a representative of Vice President Biden's campaign, for their response on President Trump's change of messaging. "Is this really what American's need right now? Right in the middle of a pandemic and civil unrest, do we really need the kind of leadership that instills even more panic and chaos? We just sent our children back to school and now we're telling them that we're all going to die. This is just terrible. Americans need hope, not hysteria. They need the truth, not fear mongering and panic. And the truth is, we are winning this fight against the virus and soon it will be defeated! There is no need to panic. Everything is under control and we will come out of this stronger and better than we ever have been before. Under Joe Biden's leadership, we guarantee that we will make America great again!"

When asked whether or not he intended to use President Trump's campaign slogan, Biden's representative said, "What?!? Umm, whoops! Well not exactly, but what Joe Biden does intend to say is that based on Mr. Trump's statement today he's not trying to make America great. He's trying to make America fear again."

There does seem to be some logic behind a more rational approach. There are times when leaders must help people rise above fear. Did President Roosevelt cause panic after Perl Harbor? No, he rallied Americans and showed great leadership when he said, "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself." What the best leaders in history understood is, part of great leadership is preventing chaos. Sometimes this means withholding certain information, even as you press in with real action that leads to real results. This seems to be a more logical approach than what we saw from President Trump today.

TIMOTHY ANDERSON-HOLMES

Washington, D.C - Politics & Policy