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Global Leadership Is in Quarantine Just When It Is Needed Most

Contrasting the current pandemic with past crises underscores U.S. President Donald J. Trump’s abdication of global leadership.

U.S. President Donald J. Trump declares the coronavirus pandemic a national emergency at the White House in Washington, DC, on March 13, 2020. Jonathan Ernst/Reuters

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  • Stewart M. Patrick
    James H. Binger Senior Fellow in Global Governance and Director of the International Institutions and Global Governance Program

In my weekly column for World Politics Review, I contrast U.S. President Donald J. Trump’s unilateral approach to COVID-19 with past presidents‘ multilateral approaches to global crisis management.

President Donald Trump has been pilloried for jeopardizing thousands of American lives through his delayed domestic response to COVID-19. His failure of global leadership, however, has been equally glaring. Rather than rallying other nations in a collective effort, he has doubled down on his “America First” instincts, as if a purely national approach could defeat a global pandemic. The contrast with his immediate predecessors is stark.

Read the full World Politics Review article here.