Donald Trump’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic could be his undoing

Editorial: The president’s chaotic response to this global crisis may well mark the moment that the normal rules of politics are restored

President says he got tested on Friday night (Getty)

Donald Trump’s response to the coronavirus outbreak has been confused and chaotic. His early comments were that it was a “hoax” and that “it will go away”. This week he addressed the nation on TV and announced a ban on travel from Europe; then he announced a national emergency.

His TV address on Wednesday was a shambles. Among other things, he said the shipment of goods from Europe would be banned, and White House officials had to scramble to “clarify” his remarks, saying the ban applied only to people.

The ban on travel from the Schengen passport-free area made no sense in any case. It was as if he had wanted to ban travel from Europe but not from the UK, because we speak English. After it was pointed out that most Schengen countries had lower rates of infection than the UK, the ban was extended to Britain.