During a time of national crisis and a global pandemic, the people of Wisconsin ought to be able to look to the White House for strong leadership. They should be able to tune into a briefing from the president and get reassurance, sound science, and fact-based answers.

But that’s not what Wisconsin families have gotten from President Trump. They’ve gotten a botched federal response, late-night tweetstorms, and chaotic briefings chock-full of misinformation. The White House is projecting chaos — not competence.

And today, after denials and delays that are still costing lives and livelihoods across Wisconsin, the Trump Administration is using Wisconsin as a political backdrop for a photo op in my hometown of Madison as this public health and economic crisis still rages on and ravages communities.

Let’s be clear — Vice President Mike Pence is no stranger to damage-control duty on the part of this Administration. But dropping by in Madison today isn’t just too little too late, it’s downright disrespectful to the health care and long-term care workers on the front lines of this ongoing crisis, just as it is to the food-service and grocery workers keeping our communities going. And it won’t change the fact that this Administration’s failure to adequately handle the coronavirus crisis has cost both Wisconsin lives and jobs.