What could have been

If President Trump had taken a different approach, thousands of human lives would have been saved.

He could have told all of his constituents, Republican and Democrat, that now is the time to put our differences aside and come together as we did right after 9/11 to show the world how a pandemic is eradicated.

He could have leveled with us about the severity of the virus.

Then, he could have appealed to our sense of patriotic duty to shut down temporarily, wear masks at all times, wash our hands and keep our distance. He could have likened it to being at war, with the virus being the enemy and that we must be an example to the world on how to eliminate this enemy quickly.

His followers would then do whatever he said and instead of whining and bristling about their loss of freedom and rights, would quickly don masks and hunker down. Democrats, understanding science, would of course join in.

The curve would have come down.

Then, working with governors by region, a consistent reopening plan would be implemented to keep things safe until the vaccine came out. Instead, our president denied the existence of the virus, said it was fake, that it would disappear like a miracle. He blamed governors for their individual approaches. Rather than visit hospitals, reach out to first responders and try to help those affected, he campaigned and rallied divisively and denied the great loss of life, trivializing it further with his bizarre return to the White House after he himself got the virus.

Rather than help those folks who are suffering now, he goes to the golf course.

History will treat him poorly and that is just.

Louis S. Guagenti

Arlington Heights