The New Yorker wordlessly sums up Trump's coronavirus problem

Trump
(Image credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

For years, experts have warned that President Trump "has been squandering the credibility he could need in a moment of national emergency, like a terrorist attack or a public health crisis," Annie Karni, Michael Crowley, and Maggie Haberman write at The New York Times. And if the COVID-19 outbreak proves to be that moment, "his history of issuing false claims could make it harder to sell the public on any plans to address coronavirus."

Trump has already "made inaccurate or questionable claims" about the new virus, the Times notes. "Current Trump allies said the fact that the president chose to address the growing public health crisis quickly after returning from a trip to India showed how seriously he was taking the outbreak. But privately, they say he has been reluctant to give in to what he has called an 'alarmist' view of the virus's potential to cause damage as he warily watches the effect of the outbreak on the stock market."

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.