Americans are three weeks into social distancing at home while day-dreaming about going outside, partying and possibly a new president. FAMU student Melissa Lavoile says she isn’t confident President Donald Trump is doing enough to combat the financial, burdens felt by many families like her own.
“My dad got temporarily laid-off because all the restaurants are closed in South Beach, so we’re currently filing for unemployment,” she said. “But it’s, you know, a tedious process since everyone is filing for unemployment.”
According to Monmouth University Polling Institute, a majority of the country — 54 percent — believe the federal government hasn’t done enough to slow the spread of the virus.
“I think he (Trump) is doing his best now but I feel like if he listened ahead of time and been more receptive it could have been better a long time ago,” she said. “With the stimulus check, that was a good step in the right direction but there are still things he could have done to suppress the spread of the virus.”
Lavoile said she is routing for the president’s success in tackling the pandemic, but she like many others feels there is no place to turn for guidance and leadership.
“We can hear one thing one day and then it can be changed another day. So, I’m not really looking anywhere seriously for guidance,” she said. “I’m going to obviously check the CDC website, follow the general guidelines. But I can’t really trust the media.”
The White House holds daily coronavirus updates, but the president continues to spread misinformation to the media and the public. The poll shows more than one-third of Americans trust the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Dr. Anthony Fauci, for reliable information more than any other figure.
The majority of Americans simply do not believe the president is doing a good job. It seems the president’s rally-like press briefings may actually be doing more harm to his reputation than good. According to CCN/SSRS 52 percent of the United States’ citizens disapprove of Trump’s handling of the public health crisis.
Trump responded to these numbers by blaming the World health Organization. He announced Tuesday that he would halt funding to the WHO to investigate its management of the pandemic.
But Trump’s attempts to avoid accountability could lead to growing distrust in his ability to lead and whether he should be re-elected in November.