Former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel said President Donald Trump was acting “very passive-aggressive” during the coronavirus pandemic, which is leaving a “void of leadership” that governors and mayors are attempting to fill.
During Monday”s broadcast of MSNBC’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports,” Emanuel said, “The country is begging for his leadership, and he is being very passive-aggressive in that leadership. I wish he’d spend less time lashing out either at a governor or a reporter who’s doing their job and more time lashing out and making sure that we have a focus on how to bring the country together and bring the resources to bear on this problem. I don’t think any nurse or any doctor should risk their health because they lack adequate masks, adequate protective gear, or the ability to provide a patient with a ventilator. I do think governors and mayors, university presidents, religious leaders, not-for-profits, citizens are stepping up because there is a void. And the unfortunate part is, you cannot solve this problem state by state, city by city jurisdiction. This is a national crisis that requires national leadership.”
He added, “I actually think as a student, amateur student of presidential history and having worked for two presidents, crises reveal character. And this is a make-or-break moment for the country, and this is a make-or-break moment for President Trump. Now, I think every mayor and every governor has a role to play, but every one of them would want the national leadership that allows them to become effective administrators of their jurisdiction. Nobody wants to step into this void. They do it because there’s a void of leadership that requires for public health and economic reasons that they step into that void. But we need a national government on a national crisis. It’s that simple.”
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