How ‘Germ-Phobic’ Donald Trump Reacted To Ebola Outbreak Before Coronavirus Revisited

Donald Trump admitted that he is a germaphobe.

The president of the United States is obsessed with hygiene and has spoken several times of his extreme revulsions to germs. In his 2004 book “How to Get Rich,” Trump declared himself as “very much of a germophobe” and added “waging a personal crusade to replace the mandatory and unsanitary handshake with the Japanese custom of bowing.”

In 2014, the Ebola outbreak happened and it caused major loss of life and socioeconomic disruption. Trump criticized then-president Barack Obama for his decisions in managing the epidemic.

“Ebola patient will be brought to the U.S. in a few days - now I know for sure that our leaders are incompetent. KEEP THEM OUT OF HERE!” he wrote on Twitter.

“The U.S. cannot allow EBOLA infected people back. People that go to far away places to help out are great-but must suffer the consequences!” the POTUS wrote in another tweet.

Ronald Klain who directed the Obama administration’s response to the 2014 Ebola crisis criticized the POTUS’ reaction. He said that Trump had the right people but wrong instincts and wrong structure because the country has the “best experts, scientists and medical leaders in the world. But Trump’s instincts — anti-science, anti-expert, isolationist and xenophobic — risk that he will eschew that advice at critical points.”

This year, Trump is facing an epidemic under his administration – the novel coronavirus outbreak. According to Michael Crowley in an article for The New York Times, Melania Trump’s husband has been “uncharacteristically restrained” when it comes to his commentary about the contagious disease. He even praised China President Xi Jinping whose governance has been widely criticized for being secretive and for making questionable announcements following the coronavirus outbreak.

“They’re working really hard, and I think they’re doing a very professional job,” Trump said.

“The virus that we’re talking about having to do, a lot of people think that goes away in April, with the heat, as the heat comes in, typically that will go away in April. We’re in great shape, though. We have 12 cases, 11 cases, and many of them are in good shape now,” he added.

Trump also shared that he talked with Jinping and the latter mentioned that heat kills the virus, so things will be better by April.

In related news, Trump has been criticized on Twitter for the “inaccurate information” in a speech. His claim that he turned Tony Rankin’s life around with the help of “Opportunity Zone” was reportedly not true.