Opinion | Trump’s Chernobyl - The New York Times

Not surprisingly, China’s authoritarian government had many of the same reactions as the Kremlin to the initial spread of the coronavirus in Wuhan. But Beijing’s ability to control information was far smaller than the Soviet Union’s in the predigital era. The public adulation for Dr. Li Wenliang, a doctor whose early warning about the outbreak of the disease was met with official accusations of “severely disturbing the social order” and who died of the disease, demonstrated the futility of trying to control bad news — but also the danger, since heeding Dr. Li’s warning more quickly might have led to earlier and better efforts to contain the virus.

President Trump’s efforts to spin the pandemic away so it wouldn’t hurt his re-election chances are far more futile than China’s, since a robust news media, a strong medical establishment, local governments and independent legislators are not cowed by his accusations that the disease “is their new hoax.” Americans threatened by the outbreak, like the Soviet people in 1986 or the Chinese in 2020, will not be fooled for long when their lives are threatened.

Still, it’s discouraging that the president began to acknowledge the gravity of the coronavirus only after his efforts at denial went nowhere, and that even so important a speech included misinformation such as his claim that antiviral therapies would soon be available. And, of course, there was that familiar attempt to depict the virus as something foreigners were inflicting on Americans.

In the Soviet Union, Chernobyl proved to be a seminal moment for a system already on life support, hastening its demise. The handling of the coronavirus will have its time of reckoning, too, and the pandemic is certain to leave a deep imprint on afflicted regions of the world, including our country.

Back in 1986 all such analyses began later, after the danger subsided. In the immediate aftermath, the questions were far more immediate, as they are in these early days of spring. Dare I ride the subway? How will we get food if we’re quarantined at home? Is my will up to date? Are we being told the truth?

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