President Donald Trump and his allies continue to insist that he has handled the coronavirus pandemic remarkably well, claiming that the death count from COVID-19 would be much higher in the United States if he hadn’t been so proactive and quick to respond to the crisis. But such claims are ludicrous, as Trump seriously downplayed the threat back in January and February and even described it as a Democratic “hoax.” And journalist William Saletan, in an in-depth “blow-by-blow account” for Slate, argues that “tens of thousands” of American lives could have been saved if Trump had done a better job handling the crisis.