Mitt Romney's Comment On Trump's COVID-19 Leadership Is Raising Eyebrows

Utah Republican Senator Mitt Romney and President Donald Trump appear to have different priorities, and this was made especially clear when Romney called out Trump for failing to address the country's skyrocketing infection and death toll as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. In an interview with CNN's Wolf Blitzer, Romney said, "Well, this hasn't been the focus of his rhetoric, apparently, and I think it's a great human tragedy, without question. The extraordinary loss of life is heartbreaking — and in some respects unnecessary."

He continued, "Not all respects, but we've relaxed our standards as individuals. 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. It's unfortunate that this became a political issue. It's not political. This is public health. And unfortunately we have not made that message clear enough."

Romney's comments came as Wednesday's death toll from the virus hit a record high of 2,885 on Wednesday. Over 14 million people in the country are now infected with the coronavirus. 1.2 million new cases were announced within a week's stretch alone (via New York Times).

CDC director Robert Redfield has already warned that the next three months could well be the most difficult in the nation's public health history, particularly if people continue to ignore mask-wearing and social distancing measures. "The reality is December and January and February are going to be rough times. I actually believe they're going to be the most difficult time in the public health history of this nation," Redfield said. In reporting Redfield's comments, The Hill says the CDC director didn't address the fact that inconsistent messaging and the politicization of mask wearing had come about because of a lack of central leadership, including the absence of a national testing strategy and a national mask policy.

In a separate interview with CNN's Jake Tapper, President-elect Joe Biden says he will ask all Americans to wear masks for the first 100 days after he takes office. "Just 100 days to mask, not forever. 100 days. And I think we'll see a significant reduction," Biden says. We can also expect masks to be required in federal buildings or in interstate transportation on airplanes and buses. Pandemic expert Dr. Anthony Fauci, whose advice and guidance many of us have been counting on since the beginning of the year, will stay on and play the role of a chief medical adviser and member of the Biden COVID-19 response team.