海角大神

鈥淚鈥檓 a cheerleader for this country.鈥澛�

That鈥檚 what President Donald Trump told reporters on Wednesday, defending his intentional downplaying of the dangers of the coronavirus, as reported in Bob Woodward鈥檚

鈥淚 don鈥檛 want to create panic. ... We want to show confidence. We want to show strength,鈥� President Trump said.

Surely part of a president鈥檚 job is calming and inspiring citizens. Franklin Delano Roosevelt聽did that聽when he told a nation battered by depression that 鈥渢he only thing we have to fear is fear itself.鈥澛�

But there鈥檚 a fine line between cheerleading to pick people up, and misleading them about dangers ahead.聽Mr. Trump's now facing a furor of criticism that he stepped over that line.

On Feb. 10, for example, the coronavirus might disappear by April.

鈥淚 think it鈥檚 all going to work out fine,鈥� he told a rally in New Hampshire.聽

Three days earlier, speaking with Mr. Woodward, he hadn鈥檛 sounded so confident.

鈥淭his is deadly stuff,鈥� Mr. Trump said then.

Cheerleading is only part of a president鈥檚 job. They鈥檙e supposed to mobilize executive action, negotiate with congressional leaders, coordinate state actions, jawbone business leaders, and so on 鈥� all while running America鈥檚 relations with the rest of the world.聽

On the coronavirus President Trump says he鈥檚 done a lot. But many critics and experts have faulted the U.S. federal response as slow and disjointed, with lack of leadership a primary problem.

F.D.R. understood the totality of the president鈥檚 job. In 聽he outlined what he saw as the causes of the nation鈥檚 economic problems, and vowed to address them soon in a special session of Congress.

鈥淭his nation asks for action, and action now,鈥� he said.