Nobody calls the 1919-20 pandemic the Spanish flu anymore, and not because we are soft on the Inquisition. It's just not a useful way to name a disease.— David Frum (@davidfrum) March 17, 2020
The reason sensible people resist Trump's urging to call coronavirus "China infection" or "Yellow Peril" or whatever name he's test-marketing tonight is that it's just TOO BLINKING OBVIOUS that his purpose is to redirect attention from his failure to do his job competently.— David Frum (@davidfrum) March 17, 2020
It was not the Chinese Communist Party that invited virus-contaminated guests to a party at Trump's cash-for-ambassadorships private club on March 7, well after any responsible leader would have begun demonstrating safe behavior to the country— David Frum (@davidfrum) March 17, 2020
It's not because the Chinese Communist Party did a *good* job that observers blame Trump. It's because after witnessing the shambles in China - and with weeks and weeks to think things over - Trump repeated here the same methods of official lying that did so much harm there.— David Frum (@davidfrum) March 17, 2020
Last thing. Trump today conducted a - for him - lucid and responsible press conference.— David Frum (@davidfrum) March 17, 2020
He collected kudos for it too.
Perhaps in this grave crisis he might at last behave himself something like a president worthy of respect?
He couldn't last till bedtime.
