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| Trump Addresses Coronavirus Outbreak in an Oval Office Speech |
On Wednesday night of March 11, 2020, President Trump made an announcement concerning the growing seriousness of the coronavirus in the Oval Office. Before the broadcasting of this speech on Wednesday night, President Trump related coronavirus to an everyday flu. Now that coronavirus is spreading quickly throughout the United States, President Trump has issued a new set of rules regarding the spread of the coronavirus within the country. Although in his address, he spoke highly of his administration who have handled the situation well, he also went on to suspend "all travel from Europe to the United States" except for the United Kingdom. This measure would prevent foreign citizens from entering the US, but not affect trade and cargo. In his speech, he blamed foreign countries for the spread of coronavirus in the US saying that "our nation's unprecedented response to the coronavirus outbreak that started in China and is now spreading throughout the world."
I think that the address from the Oval Office that Trump was a way to help relieve tensions concerning the coronavirus. Although not all the facts President Trump stated in his speech were accurate, he did press upon the urgency of this pandemic. Ultimately, this will build tension around Europe and the US regarding trade in any form since no foreign citizens are allowed in the US who come from European countries besides the United Kingdom.
Questions:
1. What was your reaction to President Trump's Oval Office Speech?
2. How will this affect relations with Europe?
3. What is your opinion of President Trump's new travel ban to contain the spread of coronavirus?
While I think Trump and his administration made steps in the right direction to try to adequately deal with the spread of COVID-19, I still think there is a lot more that could be done and should be done. One of the glaring issues with his speech was that he mistakenly said that the US was proposing to ban cargo from Europe even though it was a prepared speech and he meant to say the opposite of what he did. Also, Trump was very unclear about who the travel restrictions would apply to and how they would be rolled out, causing panic among US citizens traveling overseas in Europe. It had to be clarified later that the travel restrictions prevent foreign citizens from entering the US, but does not affect trade and cargo. Originally the UK was excluded from the travel restrictions, but as the state of issue evolved the administration decided to extend them to include UK and Ireland as well, which I think was/is the right thing to do.
ReplyDeleteIn times like these, it becomes imperative for leaders to give proactive advice. While Trump has taken steps to mitigate this crisis, I agree with Nathan in that much more could be done. By blaming Europe and China, Trump has underplayed the importance of tackling COVID-19, both on an individual and global level. He also failed to take preventative action weeks ago when the disease was not as severe and is finding himself bound to take a reactive approach. I think trade with Italy and the U.K. will definitely decline, and prices in the U.S. will increase as a result. After locking down on travel, I believe that as a next step, we should limit the spread of the virus domestically. The current lockdown in San Mateo County is likely able to slow down infection enough so that hospitals do not become overcrowded; a similar national measure should be implemented as soon as possible.
ReplyDeleteAlthough Trump's administration took valid action to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the delay in that action and the lack of urgency did cause increased spread of the virus when it could have been partially prevented if the initial warning was taken more seriously. There is also the fact that our nation is severely unequipped to handle a pandemic. With that said, I do not think this will affect relations with Europe because all countries understand the severity of COVID-19 and that all measures to prevent further transmission is necessary. I'm unsure if this travel ban will be effective, but I do think intense measures like a travel ban are necessary to slow/stop the spread of COVID-19 as much as possible.
ReplyDeleteAlthough it was probably necessary for Trump to give this speech to show the seriousness of the situation, I do think that this speech only made people worry more because presidents don’t usually give speeches from the Oval Office, so him giving this speech from there probably freaked out a lot of people. Him banning travel from everywhere in Europe but the UK is a political move because there are cases of COVID-19 in the UK, so not banning travel from there to “protect” us from more spreading of the coronavirus doesn’t really make sense. Because of this decision, I think that some of the European countries that we are banned from traveling too will have some sort of hurt feelings when this whole thing is over, possibly causing this to result in some tension.
ReplyDeletePeople look to authority figures for direction and reassurance but Trump’s speech did not do that for American citizens. It is true that Trump has taken steps to deal with this pandemic, but there is so much more to be done. Simply placing blame doesn’t help people feel better. It also doesn’t solve the problem of how to prevent this virus from spreading even more and causing more deaths. COVID-19 is simply not the same as the everyday flu. There is no vaccine for it and is extremely dangerous. I think by preventing travel, Trump and his administration will help prevent the spread of COVID-19 but it would have been much more efficient a month ago. It is a necessary action but I don’t know how effective it will be since COVID-19 is heavily present in the United States. I don’t think relations with Europe will be heavily impacted. This is a global pandemic and everyone is going through the same fears we are.
ReplyDeleteIn the past month I have felt that the president was being insensitive to the severity of COVID-19, making racist jokes and calling it “the Chinese virus”. Even when cases started to show up in the U.S. he made little effort to recognize the threat it would have on our country. Hearing him make this speech so late into the crisis, I don’t believe he is being genuine about what he is saying. Furthermore, he cannot help but to continue blaming other countries for the disaster he has allowed to take a presence in our country. Banning Europe but not the U.K. makes little sense to me since both are affected by COVID-19, If he truly wanted to stop the spread for the health of our nation i think this would be a good time to ban international travel. Not only would this prevent COVID-19 from coming into the U.S. but also prevent it from spreading further in other parts of the world.
ReplyDeleteI don't believe that Trump banning travel to Europe will affect the relations between the two. After that WHO declared COVID-19 a global pandemic, it is common sense for nations to take precautions and not risk it. Although I think Trump could've started taking precautions way earlier into this year, I still think it was a good decision to place the travel ban. Some may argue that the ban was an exaggerated move, however, nations like Italy are suffering a lot because they didn't take the needed precautions.
ReplyDeleteI agree with previous comments acknowledging the fact that although it is good President Trump is stressing the importance of the corona virus now, it would have been better if he had took preventative measures early to lessen the quick spread of the virus in the U.S. We are highly unequipped for this pandemic, as there aren't nearly enough tests and hospitals for all the possible patients that will come down with the virus. In terms of the U.S.'s relationship with Europe, I do not think Trump banning travel there will hurt the relationship. People all over the world understand the severity of the virus and how important it is to limit travel between continents and countries.
ReplyDeleteI believe it as important for Trump to address that seriousness of the coronavirus because his initial dismissal of it was concerning to me. I believe that trade with Europe will definitely decrease, therefore creating economic issues in the US. We have already seen our economy struggling as a result to the coronavirus and I believe it will get worse as long as the virus continues to spread. I believe banning travel is the precautionary measures that must be taken in attempt to flatten the curve. Anything is better than letting this disease spread at a rate higher than our hospitals and healthcare systems can support.
ReplyDeleteIt was definitely important for Trump to address he virus. The banning of flights to Europe will help in our case but it might be better idea if we ban majority of flights into the united states because at this current point we already have it and are expected to have the number of infected people increase at a faster rate. If we do ever come to the point of isolating ourselves its better than taking any chances. We don't even know if we could get a new strain or mutation of this virus. Trump however needs to be more accurate with his information and try not to support the hatred of foreign countries.
ReplyDeleteI think that President Trump’s oval office speech was a complete failure in uniting and organizing the country to fight this virus. First of all, he says that he banned all travel from Europe to the United States when really he only was banning travel for foreign nationals. This slip only causes confusion and hysteria to the American people. Furthermore, I believe that this measure is too little and way too late. The virus is already in the country, so the ban will do next to nothing. All this action does is separate families and make the nation more tense. I also believe that Trump is understating the threat that the coronavirus poses to American citizens. He compares it to the modern flu, when in reality the coronavirus is twice as infectious and there is no vaccine for it either. Human lives are at stake, but I feel that Trump is not taking this seriously enough and does not realize the damage that it can potentially cause.
ReplyDeleteThis was a terrible speech, and it was pre-recorded. He even said that all travel from Europe was being banned, when in reality US citizens could still travel back to the US from Europe. This resulted in airports being overrun with Americans and people paying literally thousands of dollars ($20,000 in one case) to get a flight back to America. This travel ban, in my opinion, was also way too late. Our relationship with European nations will only get worse and worse as the coronavirus pandemic goes on.
ReplyDeleteI definitely think the travel ban was necessary, though I am honestly confused about why the UK is being excepted. Taken from a foreign affairs stance, closing borders to everyone seems fair and equal, but why close to everyone except a particular nation? Relations will probably be damaged no matter what, since trade is necessary for pretty much all countries, but I think countries should be more concerned about the loss of life in their own borders rather than what other countries are trying to do to protect their own citizens.
ReplyDeleteI think Trump’s speech brings up an important concern mentioned in another blog post about the racism that has resulted because of inaccurate information being spread. We’ve seen recently how Asian Americans have been physically and verbally harassed about the spread of Coronavirus. Such language from the President of the United States is only going to fuel such problems like this. I don’t think Europe is going to take this harshly as it makes sense to close borders as a result of public safety concerns. Hopefully we can continue to maintain a good relationship with Europe and ultimately reopen the borders soon and resume business as usual.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with previous comments discussing that although President Trump is addressing the severity of the situation now, it would have been more effective if he had taken other measures earlier to decrease the spread. It would have been more effective to cut off travel earlier and to not be picky to which countries are allowed to have flights to the US. I don’t understand why the UK was an exception because they have virus cases as well as all the other countries in Europe.
ReplyDeleteTrump’s speech was probably intended to give US citizens reassurance during this pandemic; however, his speech caused a lot more commotion. Trump should be taking more action to deal with this pandemic rather than placing the blame on almost everything. Preventing travel was a good decision on behalf of Trump’s administration, yet this should’ve been done a month ago. Relations with Europe won’t be too impacted as they will understand as the whole world is going through this pandemic.
ReplyDeleteLike all of his speeches, Trump did not know what he was talking about, and managed to shift blame on other countries while building up his overinflated ego and saying how great his team has handled this. In reality, China has done the best job of taking this virus seriously, followed by European countries like Italy, and we in America are handling it the worst. Trump literally called this a hoax, and only began to say otherwise when it was 1) irrefutably real and 2) becoming a problem for the US. I think that America's relationship with other countries has already been utterly demolished by Trump's administration, so it's not like this travel ban will really make things worse in terms of foreign affairs. The rest of the world already knows that America is led by an idiot.
ReplyDeleteAlthough he did not apologize for treating the situation lightly before, I think that by essentially going back on his words, Trump is indicating the severity of the situation. Although cutting off incoming flights from Europe will make life difficult for travelers and vacationers, I think relations with Europe will not be harmed, as the request is understandable as a precaution. The travel ban will probably be beneficial, but widespread action across the United States must be taken in order to minimize the spread of the virus now that it's here. I agree with Cindy that it is confounding as to why there is an exception to the United Kingdom. A European travel ban should cover all of Europe; what do we gain from allowing flights from one country?
ReplyDeleteI agree with the comments above although it was necessary for Trump to address the severity of this virus considering he had not before and just compared it to the flu, he did it in a way that only caused more tension and commotion within American citizens. I think that if he addressed this earlier and made it aware to the public the severity of the situation, there would not be as much panic as there is today. In terms of the ban from "all travel from Europe to the United States" except for the United Kingdom, it doesn't make sense to just allow flights from one country. All flights should be cancelled from that region.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, I think that the President’s reaction to this whole situation somewhat illustrates a complacency and overconfidence. He claimed, “We have contained this. I won’t say airtight but pretty close to airtight”. In my opinion those are ludicrous remarks and are obviously not true; these remarks illustrate a sort of arrogance to the danger this illness imposes. This travel ban should have been instigated earlier, and the countries borders should have become extremely limited to travel especially from Asia and known affected countries, in order to reduce the risk of contamination. The steps the administration took were necessary; however, much of this was not sufficient and was implemented too late.
ReplyDelete