Videos of President Donald Trump looking bored and sleepy during a meeting with FEMA officials about the coronavirus crisis made its way online last week. Critics of the president said that he's not handling this pandemic well and he seemed tired, disengaged and confused as the governors raised their concerns amidst the growing number of positive cases.
The POTUS is seen in the video closing his eyes often, as if to go to sleep. He also had his arms across his chest to signal that his head is not in the moment as the officials speak to each other. Those against Trump said that he looked like he didn't want to be in the meeting and noticed that his face soured a few times as well.
But a few days later, Trump emerged to speak in public with a shifted tone. At a press conference Trump declared himself as the "wartime president" who is completely on top of the public health crisis, according to Vox.
The president was previously called out for downplaying the gravity of the outbreak to the extent of event labeling this as fake news from his political opponents. The POTUS, who insisted that the public need not worry about the public health threat sometime in January, now claims that he has always taken the pandemic seriously.
During his recent press conference, Trump said that there are doctors who ask him with some surprise about how much he understands the crisis. To his critics, Trump said that he has a natural ability.
In light of the increasing positive cases of COVID-19 infection, Trump recommended that young and healthy Americans, including students, remain at home for work or school to slow down the spread of the virus. He also recommended limiting public gatherings of more than 10 people and placed a travel ban for those coming and going in from Europe.
The call to limit movement and practice social distancing is the right call based on the advice from the World Health Organization. It's the same protocols followed by majority of the countries dealing with the outbreak.
Meanwhile, Trump is allegedly frustrated that he has no good team behind him to manage this public health crisis. Sources told Vanity Fair that the POTUS is a germaphobe who has fears about contracting the virus from journalists or from those working around him. Those close to him said that Trump if is finally waking up to the fact that this coronavirus pandemic is bad but he will not likely show that he has no clue how to respond to it.
