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President Trump Is the Wrong Person to Lead in the COVID-19 Crisis

I feel confident in my assessment of his crisis leadership skills, or lack thereof.

Many political leaders and even military leaders envision themselves as leading heroically in a crisis. The facts are clear, the mission important, the challenge to see through the fog of the disaster does not deter the leader from acting quickly and decisively. 

Unfortunately, disasters and the current Coronavirus/COVID-19 event is not so clear. The path forward is uncertain. People and organizations are worried about their personal health and organizational/financial health. A crisis reveals the true qualities of a leader. For such a time as this, the leadership qualities of a leader are revealed. 

See this Crosscut Op-ed that started running today, Trump is unfit to lead on COVID-19 You can draw your own conclusions, but I believe my personal observations reveal a leader who has squandered his credibility before this crisis, and continues to do so now because he is unfit to lead. 

Eric Holdeman is a contributing writer for Emergency Management magazine and is the former director of the King County, Wash., Office of Emergency Management.