The Trump Presidency Is Over
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
When, in January 2016, I wrote that despite being a lifelong Republican who worked in the previous three GOP administrations, I would never vote for Donald Trump, even though his administration would align much more with my policy views than a Hillary Clinton presidency would, a lot of my Republican friends were befuddled. How could I not vote for a person who checked far more of my policy boxes than his opponent?
What I explained then, and what I have said many times since, is that Trump is fundamentally unfit—intellectually, morally, temperamentally, and psychologically—for office. For me, that is the paramount consideration in electing a president, in part because at some point it’s reasonable to expect that a president will face an unexpected crisis—and at that point, the president’s judgment and discernment, his character and leadership ability, will really matter.
“Mr. Trump has no desire to acquaint himself with most issues, let alone master them” is how I put it four years ago. “No major presidential candidate has ever been quite as disdainful of knowledge, as indifferent to facts, as untroubled by his benightedness.” I added this:
Mr. Trump’s virulent combination of ignorance, emotional instability, demagogy, solipsism and vindictiveness would do more than result in a failed presidency; it could very well lead to national catastrophe. The prospect of Donald Trump as commander in chief should send a chill down the spine of every American.
It took until the second half of Trump’s first term, but the crisis has arrived in the form of the coronavirus pandemic, and it’s hard to name a president who has been as overwhelmed by a crisis as the coronavirus has overwhelmed Donald Trump.
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To be sure, the president isn’t responsible for either the coronavirus or the disease it causes, COVID-19, and he couldn’t have stopped it from hitting our shores even if he had done everything right. Nor is it the case that the president hasn’t done anything right; in fact, his decision to implement a travel ban on China was prudent. And any narrative that attempts to pin all of the blame on Trump for the coronavirus is simply unfair. The temptation among the president’s critics to use the pandemic to get back at Trump for every bad thing he’s done should be resisted, and schadenfreude is never a good look.
That said, the president and his administration are responsible for grave, costly errors, most especially the epic manufacturing failures in diagnostic testing, the decision to test too few people, the delay in expanding testing to labs outside the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and problems in the supply chain. These mistakes have left us blind and badly behind the curve, and, for a few crucial weeks, they created a false sense of security. What we now know is that the coronavirus silently spread for several weeks, without us being aware of it and while we were doing nothing to stop it. Containment and mitigation efforts could have significantly slowed its spread at an early, critical point, but we frittered away that opportunity.
What a dude!
Thanks Jack!
Chinese Billionaire Jack Ma To Send 500K Coronavirus Test Kits, 1 Million Face Masks To US
Oh-- the irony!
(I watch Fox News every day-- mainly to see what they're telling people. I'm gonna check again to see if they report that story at all).
But are they cleared by the CDC? /s
That is SO true!!! I guess Trump won't apply a tariff on them, but he might be worried that they'll send back secret information to Beijing.
Awesome. Thank you so much Mr. Ma. Hopefully something like this will inspire other 1 percenters to follow in kind.
You can't test your way out of this problem. If you used 300,000,000 tests today, you'd still have spaghetti tomorrow. I can sit in a shithouse stall and count the no-flush and no-wash carriers who leave every minute. People need to respect themselves and others.
If you don't know what you are dealing with, you cannot deal with it.
One of the primary ways to evaluate a situation is testing.
Sounds a lot like the gop response to AGW.
As far as Trump's presidency being over, pretty sure that is a pipe dream on the part of the fanatical liberal left. He is hated so much that the left just cannot comprehend or contemplate any other possible outcome. Pipe dreams seldom come to pass.
Trump supporters don't want to or don't know how to face reality, and the rest of us are supposed to be willing to spend four or eight years humoring them. This country is fucked up. Trump is not fit for office and we have had this travesty shoved down our throat anyway.
It's embarrassing to be an American in 2020.
Google Contradicts Trump: Coronavirus Site in ‘Early Stages’
The president’s announcement of a screening tool sowed confusion among reporters and officials inside the White House and was quickly clarified by the tech giant.
President Donald Trump appeared to raise eyebrows Friday when he announced during his Rose Garden address that Google was working on a website to be “very quickly done” that would help members of the public “determine whether a [coronavirus] test is warranted”—a claim that was quickly clarified by the tech giant, which said the tool is still “in the very early stages of development.”
“I want to thank Google. Google is helping develop a website. It's going to be very quickly done, unlike websites of the past,” Trump said, adding that the company had “1,700 engineers” working on the effort.
The president’s announcement sowed confusion among reporters and officials inside the White House about what exactly the president was talking about. Google, too, was reportedly taken aback by Trump’s remarks, especially since his description of a nationwide testing site soon to be available was inaccurate, according to a source at Google cited by Wired.
Shortly after Trump’s announcement, Google issued its own statement about the site, which appeared to offer a different assessment. The company gave no indication of a timeframe but said the tool, still in early development by Google and Verily, would be tested in the Bay Area “with the hope of expanding more broadly over time.”
The head of communications at Verily, an Alphabet subsidiary, told The Verge shortly after Trump's address that the website he described as a sort of screening tool was actually a “triage website” that was intended for health workers rather than the general public.
Carolyn Wang said plans changed to make the website publicly available after Trump's announcement, though it will still only direct people to testing sites in the Bay Area. It is expected to expand beyond California “over time,” Wang was quoted saying.
It was also not immediately clear where Trump got the “1,700 engineers” figure, but an employee at Google told The Daily Beast that point was blatantly incorrect.
“There's absolutely not 1,700 engineers at Verily. I'm not even sure there are 1,700 people at Verily,”the employee, who wished to remain anonymous, told The Daily Beast Friday. Fewer than 1,000 people work at the biosciences company, the employee said. Google did note on Twitter that Google employees from other divisions had volunteered for the diagnostic project.
Trump: "If you go back to swine flu, they didn't do testing like this."
H1N1 was first diagnosed on 4/15/09. The CDC called for emergency operations on 4/22/09. 1 million tests were released by 5/15.
We knew about COVID-19 in January. It's March. We've had 11,000 tests so far.
Yes, trump's fault....
As quick as the "Anti-Trump media" is on everything else, When's the first time you heard the "News" about this ….. ISSUE (travelers have been traveling the entire time)?
December 2019 ?
January 2020 ?
February 2020 ?
March 2020 ?
You should have been protecting yourself and others against CV-19, before you even heard about it !
Don't you care about "Others" …... at all ?
Sheesh !
What comes out of Trump's mouth is his fault. It is pathetic how much Trump supporters excuse him. Trump supporters are a bigger problem in this country than Trump himself is.
Struggling with the logic here. Seems Trump would be the bigger problem; his supporters are only a problem because of him. Or do you have some other factors that you are considering?
"The People" speaking....is a "Problem for YOU ?
Vote "Bernie". It will STOP your nightmares ! He's Big on Government telling one what to do !
Donald Trump has lied thousands of times. He has shown extreme ignorance on a myriad of topics. He has personally and specifically insulted hundreds of individual Americans using his "official" way of communicating as president, his twitter page. He has embarrassed America repeatedly when overseas.
Is Trump Unfit for Office? The Constitution Says Yes
In other words, the presidency is part and parcel of a functioning democratic government, and Trump is unable to act in the interest of that democracy. His untrustworthiness, lying and appalling behavior demonstrate time and again his contempt for the duties of the office and the rule of law .
The real reason Donald Trump is unfit to be president
The real reason Donald Trump is unfit to be president. Donald Trump is not fit to lead the free world. He is a narcissistic, thin-skinned bully, a serial liar, a man who shows not the slightest respect for the office to which he aspires. This shouldn't need saying, but it evidently does.
Trump Proves Again He’s Not Fit for Office - Bloomberg.com
Nov 08, 2018 · Trump Proves Again He’s Not Fit for Office Wednesday’s news conference made little sense and was full of denials, lies and deflections. We should stop expecting anything else.
George Conway: Trump Is Unfit for Office - The Atlantic
Oct 03, 2019 · It’s also more important in considering Trump’s fitness for office , because it touches directly upon whether Trump has the capacity to put anyone’s interests—including the country’s and ...
Donald Trump’s fitness for office isn’t a ... - Vox
May 02, 2018 · But a majority of the public sees the case against Trump’s fitness for office . His average job approval ratings since the inauguration has never topped 50 percent. “President Trump’s grades on most character traits are down significantly since his first post-inaugural poll [on] January 26,...
Does anyone actually doubt Trump is not mentally fit for ...
This has always been the problem in assessing Donald Trump’s mental fitness to be president. The truth is that Americans—or a minority of them with an assist from the Electoral College—determined that this man, fully realized as a narcissist without basic skills for executive leadership, was fit for office in 2016.
etc etc etc.
Everyone in this country knows that Trump is not fit to hold the office of president. The thousands of lies to the public, in itself, makes him unfit. His overall character makes him unfit. He is a known liar crook bigot moron and cheat.
Without his 40% or so political base, that excuses EVERY SINGLE ONE of his shortcomings (we see that excuse making on NT every minute of every day), Trump would have no support for his abominable behavior. His support in Congress would be MUCH smaller. There are many instances of reports that Republicans in Congress support him only because they are afraid of being voted out of office by Trumpsters.
When a large part of the people (35 -40% or so) is willing to ignore a leader who lies to them thousands of times, often repeating the same lie 50 or 100 times even after the lie has been pointed out to him, those supporters are THE problem. They are enabling him to continue being a liar crook bigot moron and cheat.
Yes, John, I am aware.
I asked why you think his supporters are a bigger problem than Trump himself.
So you think Trump himself is a lesser problem than his supporters???
I think my answer to you was quite clear.
Then you misunderstood the question.
Of course without his supporters Trump would be hobbled. I am not suggesting that his supporters have nothing to do with this.
What strikes me as odd coming from you is that you are arguing that there is something worse than Trump. That the greater problem is not Trump but rather his supporters.
Those same supporters could have been behind someone like, say, John Kasich as PotUS. Clearly a far better person than Trump. Partisan support does not really care who is in office as long as the proper letter is next to the name. So if you are indirectly railing against blind partisanship I would agree. But blind partisanship is not limited to the R party.
I don't blame Trump for the CV. I do blame him however for dragging his feet and putting out disinformation.
THE WORDS OF A FAILED LEADER:
"No, I don't take responsibility at all."
Here is a brief timeline of the completely incompetent response of the dumbest president in US history to an actual crisis:
• January 22: “We have it totally under control. It’s one person coming in from China. It’s going to be just fine.”
• February 2: “We pretty much shut it down coming in from China.”
• February 24: “The Coronavirus is very much under control in the USA… Stock Market starting to look very good to me!”
• February 25: “CDC and my Administration are doing a GREAT job of handling Coronavirus.”
• February 25: “I think that's a problem that’s going to go away… They have studied it. They know very much. In fact, we’re very close to a vaccine.”
• February 26: “The 15 (cases in the US) within a couple of days is going to be down to close to zero.”
• February 26: “We're going very substantially down, not up.”
• February 27: “One day it’s like a miracle, it will disappear.”
• February 28: “We're ordering a lot of supplies. We're ordering a lot of, uh, elements that frankly we wouldn't be ordering unless it was something like this. But we're ordering a lot of different elements of medical.”
• March 2: “You take a solid flu vaccine, you don't think that could have an impact, or much of an impact, on corona?”
• March 2: “A lot of things are happening, a lot of very exciting things are happening and they’re happening very rapidly.”
• March 4: “If we have thousands or hundreds of thousands of people that get better just by, you know, sitting around and even going to work — some of them go to work, but they get better.”
• March 5: “I NEVER said people that are feeling sick should go to work.”
• March 5: “The United States… has, as of now, only 129 cases… and 11 deaths. We are working very hard to keep these numbers as low as possible!”
• March 6: “I think we’re doing a really good job in this country at keeping it down… a tremendous job at keeping it down.”
• March 6: “Anybody right now, and yesterday, anybody that needs a test gets a test. They’re there. And the tests are beautiful…. the tests are all perfect like the letter was perfect. The transcription was perfect. Right? This was not as perfect as that but pretty good.”
• March 6: “I like this stuff. I really get it. People are surprised that I understand it… Every one of these doctors said, ‘How do you know so much about this?’ Maybe I have a natural ability. Maybe I should have done that instead of running for president.”
• March 6: “I don't need to have the numbers double because of one ship that wasn't our fault.”
• March 8: “We have a perfectly coordinated and fine tuned plan at the White House for our attack on CoronaVirus.”
• March 9: “This blindsided the world.”
• March 13: "I don't take responsibility at all."
In a crisis we need a REAL leader not this incompetent joke we call a president.
Even if his tongue were notarized, I still would not believe a word he says.
For me personally I got 'the Trump fatigue' way back when the Trump kept uttering "Little Marco" about a dozen times. The 'Stormy Who' Trump and his Trumpers are just-----fatiguing. If they lose will they attack or just go back into normal Ku Kluxer hibernation?
It’s opinions like this that are really motivating me to vote for Trump. I wish journalists would report the news instead of their opinions of who they would like to see in office. I can’t remember the last time I saw something from The Atlantic that was unbiased and not an opinion piece.
Truth is never 'biased'. The bias lies with those who will not accept truth or facts.
y'all are too funny.
cheers
"To be sure, the president isn’t responsible for either the coronavirus or the disease it causes, COVID-19, and he couldn’t have stopped it from hitting our shores even if he had done everything right. Nor is it the case that the president hasn’t done anything right; in fact, his decision to implement a travel ban on China was prudent. And any narrative that attempts to pin all of the blame on Trump for the coronavirus is simply unfair. The temptation among the president’s critics to use the pandemic to get back at Trump for every bad thing he’s done should be resisted, and schadenfreude is never a good look."
From the first two paragraphs of your linked article:
It wasn't "MY" linked article. I just "Re-Linked" the article we are commenting on.
Click the "BIG SEED" Button at the top.
[deleted]
Trump is not remotely finished. He’s going to guide us through this crisis and restore our economy to what it was before China trashed our economy. Trump will cruise to re election in 2020 by a grateful nation.
Gee, that's swell. The reality is that the interconnected global civilization that the experts have been working to create for the last 70 years completely melted down in nine weeks. Free trade and open borders are responsible for the pandemic. And those global open borders have allowed the virus to spread rapidly. Supply-side Republicans and Democrats bear the responsibility for what is happening.
Testing won't provide any medical benefit. Besides, the test kits that everyone is hyping about are actually sampling kits. There isn't an on-site, immediate test for coronavirus (or influenza, for that matter). The only thing testing accomplishes is data collection. The COVID-19 virus is new and novel; there aren't any cures or vaccines and testing won't provide any guidance for treatment. Medical experts have been telling the public that the only treatment regime available is quarantine, hygiene, and social distancing.
Blaming Trump only provides a scapegoat that avoids public scrutiny of globalization as cause for the spread of COVID-19 and the failure of our medical infrastructure to actually practice medicine. Globalization has created risks that the experts blithely ignored.
Exactly !
Being strictly "Global" has it's MAJOR drawbacks.
That's ridiculous. Seriously, there has been extensive international travel for over 100 years. International trade for much more than that. Trying to pretend that 'globalization' is some kind of boogie man is laughable. Unless and until the world decides that we ALL want to go back to the stone age, we as a planet would be much better served to address reality rather than fantasy.
Need to add a zero; international travel has been around for more than 1,000 years. The era of colonization required travel, although, technically that travel wasn't international. Keep in mind that the human population was a little over 400 million in 1300 when the Black Death pandemic occurred. The Black Death was caused by international travel, too.
There hasn't been any global civilizations throughout history that survived. If globalization is inevitable then history tells us that collapse is also inevitable. Our modern global civilization has proven to be less resilient simply because that global civilization has been built upon exploitation made possible by cheap, abundant fossil fuels. Even now countries are trying to exploit the COVID-19 pandemic for economic and political purposes.
The pertinent question is whether or not we ignore the lessons of history. Yes, the modern global civilization is attractive because exploitation can be quite profitable. But what we are experiencing really does demonstrate that exploitation isn't sustainable. Our modern global civilization must inevitably collapse.
What 'global civilization' are you talking about? There have been 'empires' that have dissolved but the 'civilizations' that they ruled over still very much exist.
There is no such thing as a 'global civilization', modern or otherwise.
Since your historical predicate is flawed, you'll have to correct that before that question is pertinent.
I just finished watching today's news conference. I was quite surprised-- Trump did not look well. I have never seen him look this way.
My guess is that he already has the Corona Virus.
So, no official diagnosis--just a guess, eh?
Heard it on the radio and he definitely sounded like he was sick.
Actually, he did finally get tested and it was negative. He always like 250 lbs of condemned veal.
looks like*
And that could be lie Number 17,999
Good point.
It will only be over if the EC does not fuck us again.
It will only be over if we all get out the vote.
Claiming the EC fucked us is like saying that the EC fucked us EVERY Presidential election.
That is incorrect.
the EC worked exactly as designed. but blaming others is much easier huh?
the left lost on policy in 2016 and will again next election.
"BEWARE THE IDES OF MARCH"
You know, I really hope this is true. But there are still plenty of people who are minimizing this pandemic - acting like it's just a common cold, or complaining that the media is fueling panic.
The media is just reporting the facts, including interviews with experts from the Trump administration. I haven't heard a single news anchor telling people to go buy all the toilet paper. People are choosing to panic.
Yes they are, but do they need to be 24/7 constantly in your face about it? Our governor closed all the schools in Michigan from today to April 6, some in our area closed last Friday.
Last Friday the geese flew over in disperse patterns in fear, but today they are in tight "V" formations again so they are over their fear already.
Yep.
Do you remember when there were studies by experts that conservatives basically live in fear and yet here we are being criticized for not fearing this enough.
Maybe the fear factor gives the person the ability to cope with fears better and those without the fear factor overreact and panic when a fear crops up.
May I ask a serious question? I would like an honest answer. Is there anything Trump could do or not do that would make you stop supporting and defending him? I just do not understand blind faith in any person.
I can't wait to hear that answer
both of you better have plenty of time on your hands
Can you understand cricketneese?
Only when one is calling for a mate
May I ask a serious question? I would like an honest answer. Is there anything Trump could do or not do that would make you stop hating and attacking him? I just do not understand blind hostility directed at any person.
Well, for starters he could stop the continual stream of lies.
And he could improve the character of the people he appoints-- a fair number are currently under indictment ....
And while I don't personally care that much, screwing around with porn stars and in fact any women while married does set a bad example for our kids.
And there's there his pal Putin....
And that's just for starters. The guy is a real sleazebag...and that's one of his better traits!
He could resign and go into exile on Elba!
So you refuse to answer the question &instead deflect it onto me. Where have I ever attacked the man or spewed hatred? I state that I do not like the man, but I have never attacked him. But you have no answer for my question.
If he could just do that, I might be able to trust him a smidgen more
You might be misinterpreting a bit. I think most anti-Trumpers are just frustrated having Trump as our PotUS. He is an embarrassment; a perpetual illustration to the rest of the world of the low standards of the USA electorate.
Not wanting Trump to be PotUS is not the same as hatred. I suspect plenty of people actually do hate Trump, but I also suspect the majority simply want him to no longer be PotUS. That is, I trust that most people are more rational than emotional.
TBH, hes' been lying so long that it would take a long time before he could gain my trust.
" Actions " really do "Speak Louder than Words".
"Trust Me" ..... and Representative Omar !
He's been lying on CNN all morning. And PS: You can tell when he's talking out his ass because Dr. Fauci crosses his arms across his chest. He has them crossed now and Pompeo is talking.
You are a much better person than me. (Of course I've known that for years.)
I wish he would just let Dr Fauci give all the press briefings. That guy knows what he's talking about
I think quite a few would disagree with you....
Fauci is the most trusted person in the room now. Trump would do well to button his lip and just nod along to whatever Fauci says.
Or better yet...take a nap
Dog-do!
They know who they are.....
Which is the why the question: So what? is so galling. The American people need a POTUS who they can trust to tell the truth to them. We all know that Trump cannot be trusted. Even Trump's sycophants admit that he is a compulsive liar.
What I find so interesting is that his diehard supporters are not bothered at all by his frequent lying. And they (especially the self-proclaimed "Christians") could care less that he's cheated on his wife...one of his liasons being with a porn star no less!
And then his associations with convicted and indicted felons.
And "grab 'em by the p*ssy"? Nah-- his devout "Christian" supporters aren't bothered by that in the least!
And "grab 'em by the p*ssy"? Nah-- his devout "Christian" supporters aren't bothered by that in the least!
(I sometimes wonder-- do these so-called "Christians" supporters (CINOs?) have their kids watch trump on TV...as a role-model and an inspiration?
No they can weigh that against two conservative Supreme Court Justices and a tax cut and they end up on the winning end of the stick with Trump.
Your correct Dean, Too many Christians have placed ideology above practicality, the truth, or moral compulsion.
How very Machiavellian.
why would we be?
trump was talking about when women throw themselves at him.
every time a woman throws herself at me I grab her by the p*ssy also.
the one time I didn't? she got mad at me... LOL, never making that mistake again.
no one cares
no one cares what you say? ya got that right.
cheers
Well, then you are a role model for our children...just like Trump!
Congraulations...!
But . . .What Would Jesus Do?
for one thing... jesus would not take trumps words out of context.
and umm... there was that bit about: "let those without sin cast the first stone"
seriously, if a woman throws herself at someone? she wants her p*ssy grabbed. that is her plan from the start.
about trying to act like trump said he would just grab any woman he wanted by the p*ssy? jesus would say, "do not bear false witness. (in other words... don't lie. ) perpetuating lies and using jesus' name for cover? can't be good.
trump was talking about when women throw themselves at him.
Oh yeah; really? How do you know that? That is extremely disgusting and totally wrong.
Only a cad or creep would EVER take advantage of such a situation. Oh, never mind, I just described rump. Do you also fit that definition?
you apparently have a differing view of what's actually going on when a woman throws herself at someone./
your problem, not mine, or trumps... LOL
everyone else knew the left was full of shit and elected him.
the left's credibility was never lower than in 2016
now? even lower.
So to you, if an opportunity for grabbing pussy is open, it’s because the woman was “ throwing herself” at you. Ok.
A word to the wise women, beware of creeps who would attempt to have their way with you and then later say it was because you were “throwing yourself” at them.
He can no more stop lying than I can unbend a pretzel.
Does Elba have WiFi?
I have cleaned up this thread and now am closing it, so that quality discussion can go on elsewhere.
sure.. a bunch of things.
I could go on.... but why?
All are good points
Why not? If you found out that he had killed someone would you support him? If you found out that he was involved in human trafficking would you support him? Or as long as he (a former democrat) tells you what you want to hear and does anything against democrats you are ok with him?
You ask why should you go on? If you have to ask that question why bother answering at all.
I have yet to see anything positive from him. I do not like the man - did not like him before he became a Republican.
I am sorry, but you did not answer the questions. Would you support him if he murdered someone? Would you support him if you found out he was involved in human trafficking? Your responses were not answers to the questions at all - an answer would be yes or no, not a deflection away from the question.
i remember when we asked a similar question of Obama supporters.
So once again you refuse to answer the question. I was never asked that of Obama, myself, so it does not apply. If you can't answer the question then admit that there is nothing this man could do that would make you turn your back on people.
To be honest, whether Trump's presidency is over should be the least of our concerns. Getting through this situation together with the least amount of pain, suffering, death and economic peril should be the primary concern. Does the President, lie, mis-speak, bumble the technical details at times? Does a bear shit in the woods? Of course he does. The important question though, is does he follow the recommendations of the experts who have the most experience during this unprecedented and dynamic situation, and make the best of the resources already at his disposal at the NIAID, CDC, and other medical resources?
I have seen some references to Anthony Fauci, director of the NIAID since 1984, in the discussion above. Can we all agree that Mr. Fauci is an authority who can be trusted in advising a President on matters like COVID-19? My inclination, after much reading, is to trust what this man has to say.
In another article at The Atlantic , here is what he said,
Underlined emphasis mine. Now when you look at some of the author's spin on what was learned in his interview with Fauci, and some of the other articles at The Atlantic, you realize that nothing Fauci said even remotely supports the conclusions drawn by this author, or other authors at The Atlantic, with respect to the President's willingness and actions to follow Fauci's recommendations. This demonstrates something I have found to be quite common with those who wish to criticize the President for his actions, or reactions, to this crisis; a tendency to ignore the fact that this is a dynamic situation that requires shifting strategies and trust in the experts to ultimately guide policy. Instead, the focus is on silly anecdotal snippets of stupid things the President has uttered rather than on the fact that ultimately he has followed the advice of the primary expert in the field on policy/action/response every step of the way.
Just my observations. Fauci also spoke of he and the President sharing views on the virus today in an article on CNN Politics, despite minor differences in approach or presentation.
Fauci says 'there isn't, fundamentally, a difference' between his view and Trump's on coronavirus .