To varying degrees, politicians view national crises through the prism of their own profession. Their instinct is to use every crisis to shape their political personae. The hope: that the crisis will empower them to win higher offices.

Now, consider the fact that many of the politicians making the biggest coronavirus-related news are the same who are expected to run for president in 2024. In telling their residents to stay indoors indefinitely, Govs. Gavin Newsom of California and Andrew Cuomo of New York are presenting themselves as heirs to Winston Churchill.