MAZE

On January 31, 2020, Trump signed a presidential proclamation suspending entry of foreign nationals who had been physically present in mainland China within the previous 14 days. At the time, the US had confirmed just seven cases of coronavirus. The WHO had not yet declared a pandemic. Most Western governments had taken no action whatsoever. The ban applied to nationality of recent travel location, not race... Chinese-Americans, green card holders, and immediate family of US citizens were all explicitly exempt. It was a standard epidemiological travel restriction of the type used for Ebola, SARS, and other outbreaks throughout history Joe Biden tweeted on February 1, 2020... "We are in the midst of a crisis with the coronavirus. We need to lead the way with science — not Donald Trump's record of hysteria, xenophobia, and fear-mongering" Nancy Pelosi visited San Francisco's Chinatown in February 2020, explicitly encouraging people to come out, saying the area was safe to visit... framing concern about the virus as racial hysteria "So, that's why we want people to come to Chinatown. Don't be afraid. Enjoy it all. It's beautiful and there are some good bargains here now, so it's a good time to come." Pulitzer Prize Science writer Laurie Garrett told MSNBC the ban was "a racial response, a kind of xenophobia that is always in America just this close to the surface" The Chinese Foreign Ministry accused the US of "a global xenophobic attack against China"... and Western media amplified that framing rather than scrutinizing it. A Nieman Reports analysis from Harvard questioned whether the ban was motivated by "xenophobia rather than to avert the spread" Jan 31, 2020... Trump bans travel from China... called xenophobic Feb 2020... Pelosi visits Chinatown urging crowds... frames virus concern as racism... Joe Biden claimed "hysteria, xenophobia, and fear-mongering" Feb 24, 2020... NYC Health Commissioner urges New Yorkers to ride the subway and attend Lunar New Year events March 11, 2020... WHO declares pandemic April 2020... Same critics now say Trump "didn't act fast enough", article: "The Trump administration failed to act quickly, ignored warnings, and put in place travel restrictions far too late to be effective enough to contain the coronavirus in the United States." The WHO had explicitly advised against travel restrictions on January 31, the same day Trump imposed his. Critics used that WHO advisory to argue Trump's ban was driven by politics, not science. Yet it was later established... including by the WHO's own review... that the organization had delayed its pandemic declaration under pressure from China, suppressed early warnings from Taiwan, and failed to share critical information in the crucial early weeks. The authority invoked to call Trump's ban anti-science was itself compromised by political interference from Beijing. The political decision to frame caution as "hysteria, xenophobia, and fear-mongering" almost certainly accelerated community spread in New York City... which had the deadliest outbreak in the Western world in spring 2020.