To many of us, it seems that the COVID-19 pandemic and consequential quarantine has lasted a lifetime. However, the timeline is a bit shorter than you might realize. In the months since the outbreak became known internationally, President Trump and other world leaders began to prepare for the possibility of a catastrophic pandemic. Unsurprisingly, the Trump Administration’s response has gained international attention, drawing both staunch criticism and emphatic praise—some have criticized its response as slow and ineffective, while others have applauded it as quick and decisive. While the efficacy of the federal government’s response to COVID-19 is an ongoing debate, steps were taken to mitigate the spread of the virus and alleviate the damage it has done. Here is an in-depth look at the Trump Administration’s actions over the past few months:
January 2020
The first initial COVID-19 case was reported in Wuhan, China on December 31, 2019, and the World Health Organization (WHO) alerted the world on January 5, 2020. Throughout the month of January, the outbreak worsened in China and quickly spread to other nations. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued the first public warning about the outbreak on January 8, and the federal government began responding to COVID-19 later that month with the creation of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, led by Vice President Mike Pence, and the launching of the CDC’s coronavirus.gov website, designed to provide essential information and updates on the pandemic.
President Trump first took direct action to slow the spread of the virus on January 31 with the implementation of travel bans to and from China. These restrictions were enacted ten days after the first case of COVID-19 was discovered in the United States.
February 2020
President Trump’s highly anticipated State of the Union address took place on February 4th, 2020. At the time, the impeachment trial had a firm grip on public attention, and while COVID-19 had seeped into the papers, the story remained second-fiddle to the trial. President Trump acknowledged the epidemic, which was steadily mounting in China during the address, affirming that the United States would “take all necessary steps” to combat the virus, should it reach American shores. The following day, the Trump Administration briefed policymakers on plans to prevent an outbreak in the United States, and how to respond to potential American cases. Throughout early February, President Trump announced cooperative efforts between the CDC and Chinese officials to mitigate the outbreak in China, and prevent spread to the United States.
As early as February 11th, the Department of Health and Human Services began an accelerated effort to develop a coronavirus vaccination. The CDC also continued to study the mechanisms of the virus, analyzing how it spreads and how it reacted to various drugs. As the situation intensified in China, the threat of an international outbreak grew progressively imminent. On February 24th, President Trump urged Congress to allocate a minimum of 2.5 billion dollars to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
By the close of the month, the epidemic had spread to several nations beyond China, and the death toll was mounting steadily. It was clear that drastic action was necessary to prevent an outbreak in the United States. On February 29th, President Trump announced a Level 4 Travel Advisory for Italy and South Korea, prohibited American citizens from traveling to Iran, and prevented non-citizens from entering the United States if they had been in Iran within the past 14 days.
March 2020
The situation greatly worsened in the United States throughout the month of March. The number of cases rose astronomically, leading to overcrowding at hospitals and a climbing death toll. In early March, the CDC lifted its restrictions on testing, although testing still fell short of what was needed to properly blunt the spread of COVID-19. Many public places began to shut down, most notably schools and small businesses, leaving only essential businesses, such as grocery stores and pharmacies, to continue operating.
With the pandemic devastating Europe, on March 11, the Trump Administration instituted travel bans against most European countries, and COVID-19 was formally declared a pandemic by the WHO. Two days later, President Trump declared a national emergency; this freed up approximately $50 billion in emergency funding and reduced the regulations the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) had to abide by in regards to the delivery of tests. Despite this, the United States still fell behind in terms of testing, as there were not enough to ensure that every patient who needed a test could receive one. On March 17, President Trump invoked the Defense Production Act, which allowed him to instruct industries to produce equipment necessary to fight the virus. A little over a week later, the United States surpassed all other affected nations in the number of confirmed cases.
In addition to the mounting death toll, COVID-19 has devastated the economy. The stock market crashed on March 9, and the reduced profits of small businesses and corporations has resulted in the unemployment of millions of American workers. To assist them financially during these desperate times, President Trump signed a $2 trillion stimulus package, the largest in American history, that provided a check of $1200 for each furloughed worker. As March drew to a close, the federal government extended social distancing guidelines and braced for the peak to hit the following month.
April 2020
As the month of April began, the situation in the United States seemed grim. Every state in the nation had reported multiple cases of the virus, and the death toll was compounding daily. For the past several weeks, millions of Americans remained isolated in their homes. Public schools had long since closed, as had most businesses beyond the food industry, telecommunications, and other essential services. Zoom calls had become the new norm in terms of communication—nearly all work, school, socialization, and worship had essentially gone virtual.
White House press conferences remained a critical source of information for the public. Millions of Americans tuned in each day to hear President Trump, Vice President Pence, and top-ranking healthcare officials, most notably infectious disease experts Dr. Anthony Fauci and Dr. Deborah Birx, provide updates on the outbreak and announce the latest measures to handle cases and stifle community spread. During the conference on April 1st, the Administration urged all states and universities to develop ELISA tests that enabled faster coronavirus testing for large communities.
The following day, President Trump invoked the Defense Protection Act to order the production of much-needed N95 respirator masks. He also used the DPA to secure supplies for General Electric, ResMed, and four other companies to produce additional ventilators. On this day, the president also announced that the Javits Center in Manhattan, NYC, would be converted into a hospital for coronavirus patients.
Additionally, during the first week of April, the President took many steps to alleviate the economic consequences of the pandemic. His Administration launched the Paycheck Protection Program under the CARES Act. This program provided $350 billion in loans to small businesses, many of which had been crippled by forced closures over the previous weeks. The Department of Housing and Urban Development also committed $3 billion of CARES Act funding to assist needy families and individuals. Furthermore, in order to prevent a disastrous oil shortage, the Department of Energy made 30 million barrels of oil storage capacity available to U.S. oil producers.
On April 3rd, President Trump announced significant progress in the availability of medical equipment. The Departments of Justice and Homeland Security distributed 200,000 N95 masks, 600,000 gloves, and 130,000 surgical masks to doctors and nurses responding to the virus. Early the following week, the President announced that the FDA had authorized a potential Coronavirus vaccine for clinical trial. On April 6th, the CDC began providing updated research on coronavirus.gov, and an additional $186 million in CDC funding was allocated to assist the Coronavirus response at the state and local levels.
On April 8th, the Trump Administration announced that nearly 30,000 members of the National Guard had been mobilized to respond to outbreaks in various states. The next day, Vice President Pence revealed that over $100 billion in forgivable loans had been approved through the Paycheck Protection Program. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos also announced that $6.3 billion would be provided to universities to assist students who were financially affected by the pandemic.
By the following week, the President had announced the creation of an “Opening Our Country” Council. Healthcare officials predicted that the virus was nearing its peak number of cases, and the Administration began to address its plans for re-opening portions of the domestic economy. Throughout the week, thousands of shipments of PPE (personal protective equipment) were shipped to hospitals throughout the country, and CARES Act funding continued to expand for various populations. Notably, the Department of Health and Human Services announced a block grant of $3.5 billion for childcare and development.
On April 17th, President Trump worked with faith leaders to develop plans to reopen houses of worship. A few days later, Attorney General Barr conducted a call with faith leaders and congregants from across the nation to discuss manners of worship that conform to the social distancing guidelines. Callers also discussed plans to gradually re-open houses of worship as the pandemic dissipates.
By April 21st, several states had seen a general flattening or decrease in their totals of coronavirus cases. President Trump announced that 20 states would begin Phase One of his re-opening program, called Opening Up America Again. Over the past several days, the President has disclosed additional information regarding plans to reopen various industries as the number of cases tapers off. He has also announced his intention to refrain from further press conferences, believing that media coverage has misconstrued his response to the crisis.
The Big Picture
The coronavirus pandemic continues to impact every community, state, and nation throughout the world. The invisible enemy has unleashed widespread devastation that has demanded a forceful, comprehensive response from world leaders. President Trump has been tasked with leadership in the nation with the greatest number of reported cases in the world. He has been faced with some of the most critical decisions of any presidency, given the unprecedented and fatal nature of the crisis.
The Trump Administration has worked closely with professionals from dozens of departments and corporations—from the Department of Health and Human Services, to the Department of the Treasury—in order to craft both a strong medical and economic response to the ordeal. The impact of the pandemic on the domestic economy has proved a crippling side-effect that will touch all Americans—even those who never contract the virus. The unemployment rate continues to climb as countless businesses struggle to stay afloat. The situation seems surreal, as unemployment was at a record low mere weeks ago.
The economic consequences of COVID-19 will likely outlast the virus itself, and occupy the President for the remainder of his term. They will undoubtedly play a key role in the 2020 election as well. President Trump’s response to coronavirus can either help or harm his prospects for re-election, depending on the economy’s rebound-rate. If he procures jobs quickly, his supporters will certainly laud his success. However, if unemployment staggers, the President will face harsh criticism.
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