Former President Barack Obama claims that he provided ex-President Donald Trump with a pandemic playbook when Trump assumed office. However, Trump chose to disregard it.
During a rally for Vice President Kamala Harris in Las Vegas on Saturday, Obama highlighted the fact that he disregarded the warning about a potential pandemic. He emphasized, “He ignored it. And three years later, a pandemic hits.”
According to him, the COVID-19 pandemic can be considered a significant event that has affected an entire generation. He acknowledged the challenges that any president would have faced in dealing with this crisis.
Additionally, he highlighted the comparison of the United States’ death rate to countries like Canada, which took proactive measures in response to the global outbreak.
“But when we compare the per capita death rate of the United States with that of Canada, it becomes evident that Canada’s rate was 40% lower. Let’s take a moment to do the math.
That’s over 400,000 lives lost – people’s grandmothers, fathers, and mothers who could have been alive today if Donald Trump had simply paid attention and made an effort to follow the plan we provided,” remarked Obama.
“It does matter,” Obama emphasized. “If someone claims otherwise, they are mistaken. And eventually, they will come to realize the impact it has on their lives.”
Lurie expressed his disbelief at the notion that there was no playbook, stating, “To say there was no playbook was ridiculous,” during an interview with PBS in 2020.
