President Trump has been outrageously lied about by Democrats, who invented a claim that he called the coronavirus a "hoax," and he's also been subject to assorted howls of "chaos" and unreadiness and doing nothing–ness from other quarters of the pious left.

Turns out none of this was true. Here's what is true, in Trump's own tweet:

I was criticized by the Democrats when I closed the Country down to China many weeks ahead of what almost everyone recommended. Saved many lives. Dems were working the Impeachment Hoax. They didn’t have a clue! Now they are fear mongering. Be calm & vigilant! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 2, 2020

Trump's fast, decisive, and serious action, taken in the smog of the Democrats' impeachment stunt, has saved America from Italy's, Iran's, and South Korea's high casualty and big shutdown fate, saving America lives.

Here's more (hat tip: Instapundit), from PJ Media's Matt Margolies:

New York Times science reporter Donald G. McNeil Jr. noted that the Trump administration took "aggressive measures like barring entry to non-Americans who were recently in China and advising Americans not to go to China or South Korea," and that this strategy worked, despite the fact that the World Health Organization officially opposes travel and trade restrictions, and "reiterated that even as it declared the epidemic a global emergency on Jan. 30." Republican Senator Tom Cotton said on Friday that "The single most consequential and valuable thing done to stop this virus from already spreading throughout the United States was when President Trump decided to shut down travel to China last month." He also acknowledged that "the so-called experts who opposed the decision at the time" eventually admitted that it "bought valuable time to prevent the spread of this virus in the United States."

We know that it was painful for them to "admit" this, forced into crediting President Trump for leadership well done.

There's also the word of China and East Asia expert Gordon Chang:

"Trump Slump"? Prez #Trump, by acting quickly in January, avoided a crippling #COVID19 epidemic here--and even bigger market drops. Take a look at #SouthKorea for what happens when a national leader moves slowly. #CoronavirusOutbreak. https://t.co/5XMk1VXsqv — Gordon G. Chang (@GordonGChang) March 2, 2020

China was in denial. South Korea was in denial. South Korea was even prioritizing good relations with China over its own citizens' welfare. It's likely that at least some of the other hard-hit countries enacted the same position. Only Trump recognized the threat for what it was and took the only known steps that could stop it, by shutting the border, even as the left howled.

Now the U.S. is largely safe from the coronavirus, fingers crossed, but the nations that dismissed the threat are suffering significantly. Obviously, we all want everyone to get well who's affected. But it's worth noting that these new infections need never have happened. Next time, these affected nations ought to listen and follow President Trump, a man who consistently recognizes enemies both political and external.

Kudos to our president. This man protected us in the face of harm and ignored the flak he got for it, and the results now speak for themselves.