President Donald J. Trump, joined by Vice President Mike Pence and members of the Coronavirus Task Force, speaks to members of the press Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2020, in the James S. brady Press Briefing Room of the White House. (Official White House Photo by D. Myles Cullen)
Melissa MacKenzie writes at The American Spectator (abridged):
A Chinese reporter asked if the travel ban to China would be lifted soon. The president said that it wasn’t time yet.
When asked about the Summer Olympics, President Trump demurred. He encouraged Americans to be flexible with travel plans and said that there would probably be more vacationing in America.
A reporter asked the president about the criticism from Pelosi regarding his response to the coronavirus crisis. The president noted that he was called racist for implementing a travel ban to China, and he has been proven right..
Switching directions, a bit: In the last administration, did anyone give much consideration to the strategic vulnerability America faced being so dependent on the Chinese supply chain for everything from electronic components to food and medical supplies? Candidate Donald Trump made bringing manufacturing back to the United States for security reasons a central campaign focus. He brought up tariffs and tax policy to repatriate funds and manufacturing.
It needs to be said: Donald Trump was right.
If this coronavirus is exposing any vulnerabilities, it’s America’s disturbing helplessness when it comes to necessities. Products as mundane as rubber gloves and antibiotics are almost exclusively made in China. Even allowing for friendly relations, a global pandemic demonstrates the need for at least some capability being stateside in every industry. No industry can be 100 percent outsourced. It’s disastrous. Not only could America be helpless to help itself should a nation become overcome with illness or hostile, but America also couldn’t help anyone else.
Serious thought needs to be given to keeping a certain percentage of manufacturing of every essential product in America.
by MELISSA MACKENZIE
February 27, 2020,
The America Speculator
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