Suddenly, the issue transcended conventional politics and spoke to the very justification for the creation of the federal government as defined by the preamble to the Constitution: “… insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense [and] promote the general Welfare.”

Time for courage

Nothing is more important than Washington’s responsibility to protect as many Americans as possible during what may turn into the gravest public health emergency since the influenza epidemic of a century ago.

That is why now is the time for Republican leaders of Congress to do what they have resisted for more than three years — stage an intervention in the Oval Office.

The scene will not be pretty. And it may well be futile. But congressional GOP leaders have to try to convince Trump to relinquish any role in managing the government’s response to the pandemic. No tweets, no public comments whatsoever and no visits to government facilities like the Centers for Disease Control wearing a red “Keep America Great” campaign cap.

Sadly, Trump may actually believe his Friday boast at the CDC: “People are really surprised I understand this stuff. Every one of these doctors said, ‘How do you know so much about this?’ Maybe I have a natural ability.”