Just hours after declaring a national emergency because of the coronavirus he once called a “hoax,” President Donald Trump took to Twitter to declare that Americans can pray away the pandemic.

Seriously.

The country is panicking because Trump botched the response to the outbreak, even going so far as to claim that it had been contained even though it clearly wasn’t. Now over 1,800 people have contracted the virus and more than 40 have died. And there could be thousands or tens of thousands more since Trump is keeping people from being tested because he wants to keep the real numbers low to benefit him at election time.

Frankly, it’s a mess. And Trump had no choice but to declare a national emergency, therefore admitting that the pandemic is worse than he has been claiming. But he also declared a national day of prayer on Twitter after his press conference.

Thoughts and prayers are not going to get us through this pandemic. Science and proper medical care is what our country really needs. Trump is clearly pandering to evangelicals and pushing their claim that people should turn to religion instead of science. That’s an approach that will only get more people sick and killed. Prayers don’t stop school shootings. They won’t stop the virus.

We need testing, transparency, and a vaccine, not an imbecile telling us to rely on prayer. Had he been a true leader, our country would have been properly prepared and we would be listening to health professionals instead of silencing them. Trump should be ashamed and he should resign.

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