There were 3 role-playing scenarios: hurricane, pandemic and cyber incident. Obama team discussed need to anticipate requirements, stay ahead of challenges and provide resources quickly— Chris Lu (@ChrisLu44) March 16, 2020
The goal was to acquaint Trump officials with how to coordinate around major incidents. 2/6
In event of a pandemic, Trump team was told:— Chris Lu (@ChrisLu44) March 16, 2020
-Pandemics can start in other countries and don't respect borders
-Science must guide decisions
-Federal/state collaboration is key
-Consistent messaging needed
-Social distancing recommended
-"Days - and even hours - can matter"
4/6
Bottom line: when Trump says "we were all surprised" by #COVID19, he shouldn't have been.— Chris Lu (@ChrisLu44) March 16, 2020
The Obama team warned Trump's staff about a possible pandemic. Whether it was lack of preparation or staff turnover, the necessary work wasn’t done to get in front of this.
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