Trump made America's response to the virus a political football when he repeatedly pointed to his China travel ban as evidence of his early seriousness about COVID-19. What he never mentioned was American Airlines had already cancelled fights from China and most airlines had suspended all flights from Wuhan area. However, Trump framed the virus as a foreign problem solved by keeping
foreigners out. This suited Trump’s political purposes as he campaigned for re-election on tough border control. But it did nothing to help Americans as infection rates exploded in the coming months.
On February 28 at his North Carolina rally, he decided to downplay the seriousness of the virus by calling it just the common flu and calling the media warnings a democrat hoax. At his rally, while he was ridiculing those that were calling for action, the CDC was getting reports of many cases and deaths in Washington State with pleas for test kits, guidance, and supplies.
In early March Trump sent Pence to Washington to assure the governor that the federal government was on top of the situation and urgently need supplies were on the way, which they weren't. Pence then visited Florida to give the the Cruise industry Donald Trump's personal assure that Cursing was safe and the coronavirus would not prohibit people from taking cruises. A week later, 4 cruises lines reached and agreed with the Trump administration to stop offering cruises and 2 weeks later all cruises out of the US were stopped. March was one disaster after another for the Trump administration ,no working test kits, shortages of PPEs and ventilators, misunderstandings by the states as to what level of support to expect from the federal government. Trump refused to take any responsibility, blaming the CDC, Obama, the democrats, China, and finally the WHO.
Trump made the US response to the virus a political issue from day one.