Health officials have warned that a coronavirus outbreak in the United States isn’t a matter of “if,” but of “when.” That means lives now depend on how our government prepares for this virus. Yet both sides of the aisle seem woefully unprepared.

Frustrated with messaging he believes is overly alarmist, President Trump contradicted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and said the virus’s spread is not “inevitable.” He also declared yesterday that even if the coronavirus does spread, it will “disappear” eventually.