(Bloomberg Opinion) --
Whatever the merits (or lack thereof) of the Trump administration’s efforts to fight the coronavirus, it’s clear that he personally, and the administration in general, has done a really bad job at crisis communications. After all, a president who had to schedule a second public event because he managed to botch reading a prepared Oval Office speech only to somehow allow himself to say “I don't take responsibility at all” is having some serious messaging problems. Not to mention that at a time when the federal government wants to be trusted Trump still can’t get his facts straight, and when candor is called for he has constantly downplayed the truth — even as late as Sunday implausibly claiming that the “virus … is something that we have tremendous control over.”
Perhaps most important in this failure is that Trump can’t seem to deliver the public health message that others inside and outside the administration are trying to promote. At its worst, that’s contributed to some Trump supporters failing to follow expert advice. Even those who aren’t misled by the president, however, are missing the kinds of public leadership that presidential oratory normally provides. Trump simply hasn’t explained why public life in the United States is shutting down in ways that people can understand. He also consistently emphasizes an upbeat message about the limited damage that the virus causes for many people without making it clear why professionals believe it is critical for those who have relatively small personal risks to change their behavior.
It’s good that some politicians from both parties and many private citizens have tried to fill the gap. In particular, it’s welcome that Republicans including Newt Gingrich, Ted Cruz and Liz Cheney are joining Democrats who are telling people to take the threat seriously; research shows that bipartisan agreement helps spread accurate information and correct misinformation.
That said, I’d like to see more from both politicians and celebrities. My small suggestion? Perhaps a politician (such as California Governor Gavin Newsom) or someone in the private sector could organize Hollywood participation in public service announcements, maybe with content approved by “shadow coronavirus czar” Dr. Scott Gottlieb. Donald Trump would never ask Barack Obama and George W. Bush to participate in that kind of effort. But they should, and so should any other well-known retired politicians who are willing to help out. Not to mention celebrities, targeted to young folks who don’t understand why they need to pitch in or to older citizens who haven’t reacted as strongly as they need to.
My Bloomberg Opinion colleague Tyler Cowen has speculated on the kinds of entertainment that the virus might produce and referenced World War II propaganda-like movies; surely someone is capable of organizing today’s excellent celebrities from music, moves and television, sports, and whatever the kids care about these days to flood the various media platforms with labeled, certified, good information to help drive out the bad. And to remind us of what Trump is incapable of conveying — that we’re all in this together.
We’ve had some quality PSAs already — I’ve seen a couple by football coaches, and internationally there are a bunch of hand-washing ones — but a more systematic effort is surely warranted. It should be coming from the federal government, but it isn’t. It’s time for someone to step up and get this done.
1. Norm Ornstein on Congress’s need for a backup plan — for itself.
2. Sarah Binder at the Monkey Cage on the House-passed stimulus bill and the next round to come.
3. Rick Hasen on protecting the 2020 election with vote-by-mail.
4. James Fallows on the chaos at the airports. Two reminders: One is that this is all new and mistakes are going to happen, so we shouldn’t hold public officials to standards of perfection; the other is that the Trump administration sure seems to have botched a lot of things.
5. Michael Harriot on black voters and other Democrats.
6. Charles Ornstein pleads with everyone to stop comparing the coronavirus to the flu.
7. And Beth Cameron on why closing the White House office that dealt with pandemics matters.
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Tracy Walsh at twalsh67@bloomberg.net
This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Bloomberg LP and its owners.
Jonathan Bernstein is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering politics and policy. He taught political science at the University of Texas at San Antonio and DePauw University and wrote A Plain Blog About Politics.
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