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With Donald Trump's Coronavirus Diagnosis, The World Sees A Fully Failed Pandemic Response

U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement that he and first lady Melania Trump tested positive for the coronavirus dominated global news, shook financial markets and spurred an outpouring of commentary from world leaders and others. The common theme: The U.S. is a mess.

That the president has fallen ill with the virus is a sharp reminder that it continues to spread rapidly in the U.S., which already has the world’s highest number of infections and deaths.

Officials abroad extended sympathy to the president. But across the world, it was tempting for people to contrast their country’s response to the pandemic with Trump’s in the U.S.

Trump potentially exposed dozens of people to the disease by attending the first presidential debate on Tuesday, where he and his entourage mostly eschewed the basic protective measure of wearing masks. On Wednesday, he attended a campaign rally. Thursday, even after learning that close aide Hope Hicks was infected, he attended a private fundraiser. His campaign did not inform Biden’s team they may have been exposed to the virus, according to PBS.

Yuriko Koike, the governor of Tokyo, said Trump’s diagnosis reminded her “of how widely masks are worn in Japan,” The Associated Press reported. Japan, with a population of 126 million, has lost 1,580 citizens to COVID-19. The U.S., with a population 2.5 times larger, has recorded 207,000 deaths.

Other observers were less restrained. The Australian satire website the Betoota Advocate posted a story claiming the Trump family had caused greater community transmission than the entire population of the Australian state of Queensland, AP noted.

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