Donald Trump and his gang of incompetents and political flunkies have fumbled every aspect of the pandemic and are responsible for the place we are in today

Claiming that we are in a “good spot” while cases soar past 3 million and deaths exceed 131,000 is ignoring reality and claiming victory in a battle we are losing.

Continuing to insist that testing is overrated and 99% of cases are “harmless” is an insult to the families of the dead and the survivors, many of whom report continuing health issues. Refusing to wear a mask and holding rallies with no social distancing and masks “optional” is irresponsible and dangerous.

Trump and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos are pressuring governors to fully reopen schools and threatening to withhold funding if they do not. Their only plan to help the states seems to be a revision of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines which they say are too strict and expensive. This was echoed by Vice President Mike Pence who said new guidelines would be forthcoming. All three are playing politics and positioning themselves to blame the governors while ignoring the risks to students, parents, and teachers.

Texas, Florida, and Arizona all opened early to applause from Trump and are paying the price with exploding cases, hospitalizations, and increasing deaths. All are examples of the Trump strategy to ignore the science and safety guidelines and open.

Despite Trump’s claims, we are losing the war against COVID-19 due to a lack of leadership and sheer incompetence by the Trump’s administration and his political allies.

Lies, distractions and creating a cultural divide is the Trump reelection strategy but it is a losing strategy for our country. We can make a change for the better in November. Please vote in a new leader.

MIKE McCLELLAN

Alpena