The press is now attacking President Trump with the media “bombshell” that Trump downplayed the seriousness of COVID-19. But as James Freeman in the WSJ urges, “Let’s hope that promoting a sense of panic is not the test of whether a leader is seriously addressing a national issue.”

Is it really that hard to understand the President’s comments during an interview a week after President Trump imposed restrictions on travel between the U.S. and China?

The day after the new Trump announced his travel policy, former Vice President Joe Biden tweeted:

We are in the midst of a crisis with the coronavirus. We need to lead the way with science — not Donald Trump’s record of hysteria, xenophobia, and fear-mongering. He is the worst possible person to lead our country through a global health emergency.

Eminently Sensible Restrictions

In hindsight, Trump’s travel restrictions seem eminently sensible, as were the travel restrictions the President subsequently imposed on Europe, continues Mr. Freeman.

Do presidents typically order flight cancellations over illnesses they believe to be less deadly than the flu?

President Trump has a reasonable explanation for what he said to Woodward—one that is not maliciously motivated.

“I want to keep the country calm. I don’t want panic in the country.”

Dr. Fauci to Trump’s Defense

In an interview with Fox News, Dr. Fauci acknowledged that he never got the sense that President Trump was downplaying COVID-19:

“I didn’t get any sense that he was distorting anything. In my discussions with him, they were always straightforward about the concerns that we had.”

And while the media was busy reporting on this “bombshell,” report BRIGHT editors, Trump was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize for actually doing something.