Op-Ed: Romney condemns Trump's 'lack of leadership' as thousands die

As the number of coronavirus deaths in the United States tops 278,000 and confirmed cases near 14.5 million, Trump has yet to acknowledge the severity of the nation's health crisis - nor has he mentioned or shown any sympathy for the vast numbers of the dead. From the moment the world first knew of the coronavirus - Trump has denied its existence, or called it a Democratic "hoax." When that didn't make the virus disappear, Trump chose to ignore it, making little use of his White House platform to warn the public about safety precautions. Many people have questioned the president's lack of leadership during the pandemic, myself included, but many Republican lawmakers, literally fearing they would get on Trump's now-famous "S***List," refused to correct his lies and conspiracy theories about the virus, and now, they are also silent about his losing the election.

"This hasn't been the focus of his rhetoric apparently and I think it's a great human tragedy," says Sen. Mitt Romney of Trump's approach to the Covid-19 pandemic.

"The extraordinary loss of life is heartbreaking... From Washington, we have not had a constant, consistent plan.” pic.twitter.com/pmHsJjykxw

— CNN (@CNN) December 4, 2020

But on Thursday night, Senator Mitt Romney - who is already on Trump's list - was asked by CNN’s Wolf Blitzer where Trump’s leadership is as he continues to push unfounded conspiracy theories about the election as the coronavirus surges across the nation, reports The Hill. "Well, this hasn't been the focus of his rhetoric, apparently, and I think it's a great human tragedy, without question," Romney said. The senator added that the “extraordinary loss of life is heartbreaking — and in some respects unnecessary.” “Not all respects, but we've relaxed our standards as individuals," he continued. “Some states haven't had mask mandates. And from Washington we have not had a constant, consistent plan and plea for people to wear masks, to social-distance, to take all the measures that would reduce the spread of this disease." Romney was also asked about Republican governors who appeared to be dragging their feet over ordering mask mandates. Romney said they needed to take the pandemic “very seriously and communicate that this is not a political matter; this is not a matter of liberty. This is a matter of safety and public health.” Today, with January 20th just around the corner, Trump is focused on doing everything he can to disrupt any semblance of order left in this country. He only thinks about the fact that he lost an election, and is not the people's choice anymore. In the meantime, his lack of leadership skills has lead to the deaths of thousands of people who sadly, believed him when he scoffed at masks and held giant rallies. All those deaths will follow him for the rest of his life.