How the White House bungled the COVID-19 response

Alex Gibney says five companies chosen by the Trump administration were able to profit off the shortage of personal protective equipment, while states struggled to buy enough to protect their frontline health care workers. He says, “These companies would then have that material imported at taxpayer expense, and then were free to sell that material for whatever price they wanted. And at least 50% of that material could be sold in states that weren't even experiencing hotspots if the price was right.”

Alex Gibney says five companies chosen by the Trump administration were able to profit off the shortage of personal protective equipment, while states struggled to buy enough to protect their frontline health care workers. He says, “These companies would then have that material imported at taxpayer expense, and then were free to sell that material for whatever price they wanted. And at least 50% of that material could be sold in states that weren't even experiencing hotspots if the price was right.” Photo courtesy of NEON

President Trump told Americans in late January that the government was ready for coronavirus. In an interview with CNBC, on the day Seattle recorded the first U.S. case of COVID-19, Trump said, “We have it totally under control.” Now 220,000 Americans have died from COVID-19, more than 8 million have been infected, and cases and hospitalizations are spiking again. 

Oscar-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney looked at why the U.S. failed so stunningly at tackling COVID-19. He’s out with a new documentary called “Totally Under Control.”

From this Episode:

Credits

Host:

Madeleine Brand

Producers:

Sarah Sweeney, Michell Eloy, Amy Ta, Rosalie Atkinson, Brian Hardzinski, Angie Perrin, Kathryn Barnes