This episode first aired on Today in Focus, the Guardian’s global daily news podcast.
On Monday, the US surpassed 4.7m confirmed cases of infection – more than a quarter of the global total. The death toll, which has now passed over 150,000, is the highest in the world and continues to rise. Despite this, the US president, Donald Trump, has claimed that under his leadership the US is “doing very well”.
Guardian US chief reporter Ed Pilkington tells Mythili Rao why the US, which was once ranked the most prepared country in the world for a potential pandemic, has failed to contain the spread of Covid-19. Ed discusses how Trump’s flawed style of leadership, his messaging and his disregard for science, along with his failure to implement a unified national approach to the virus has left the country in a perilous position. He also examines how Trump’s handling of the crisis will affect his run for re-election
Photograph: Susan Walsh/AP
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