“The problem is the virus, not the economy,” stressed Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the G-20 conference. Ironically, while the G-20 nations agreed to what the Indian Prime Minister had stated, countries like United States of America (USA) and Brazil are doing exactly the opposite. These countries are putting focusing on the economy rather than saving lives of millions.
US President Donald Trump recently tweeted: ‘We cannot let the cure be worse than the problem itself. At the end of the 15-day period, we will make a decision as to which way we want to go.’ After Trump’s tweet the situation in the US has further worsened. Brazil president Jair Bolsonaro echoing Trump termed outbreak a ‘little flu’ and blamed the media about hyping the crisis. Furthermore, he alleged that media houses were planning to topple his government and virtually ruled out declaring lock down in his country.
In a recent interview with Fox News, Texas Lt Governor Dan Patrick said that grandparents should be willing to die for the sake of America’s economy and for the sake of the younger generations. He further emphasised that people should be smart enough to survive and wanted them to return to work. But at no stage of that interview did he admit that he too is a grandfather with six grandchildren. Strangely, such individuals find support in eminent columnists who regularly contribute for publications like New York Times, Wall Street Journal, etc.
But the fact remains that if the US administration took timely steps to combat the virus the situation wouldn’t have become this bleak. As per experts, the US was a month late in responding to the Covid-19 menace. It had enough time and resources to contain it but instead of fighting the disease, the US was more interested in blame game. It put China in the dock, terming it as the creator of this menace. President Trump even went to the extent of calling the pandemic a ‘Chinese Flu.’ It is for their lacklustre attitude that the pandemic in the country has become even more severe than China, the epicentre of Covid-19 crisis. So to divert the attention of its citizens, the US administration has now started talking about the economy.
US economy has not been in it’s usual health for quite sometime now. Fighting wars turned out to be detrimental for the US economy. During Trump’s regime, efforts were made to revive the economy, but with the outbreak it is now certain that it will take a couple of years more for the US economy to regain its health. However, election is closing in and soon, Trump will have to seek re-election for another term. So far, Trump’s record has not been impressive. He was banking on his success in reviving the country’s economy. So, lately Trump has been talking about the economy and America’s future as the richest country of the world rather than focusing on Covid-19. But stressing too much on the economy could mean Trump’s downfall as the pandemic has shown many shortcomings of the US health system. If Trump really wants to serve a second term, he should address those humanitarian problems first. By showing an inhuman face at this hour of crisis, Trump will only make more foes than friends.
