kim reynolds
Given President Donald Trump's propensity for lying and his administration's constant misinformation regarding the current global pandemic, Americans across the country have become selective about which sources they deem as credible in seeking potentially lifesaving information in the face of a national health crisis.
Iowa's Republican governor, Kim Reynolds, is in stark disagreement with most Americans on whom to trust regarding measures designed to curb the virus.
Iowa is one of a few states that still has yet to issue a stay-at-home order to slow the virus's spread. Reynolds has resisted taking the step despite a unanimous recommendation from the Iowa Board of Medicine to do so.
National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) director Dr. Anthony Fauci recently said that all states should institute these orders.
Reynolds's response was...telling.
After calling stay-at-home orders a "divisive issue," the governor said:
"I would say that maybe [Fauci] doesn't have all the information"
Fauci has quickly become one of the most notable figures in the pandemic's response, and one of the few officials in President Donald Trump's virus task force that Americans widely trust to deliver accurate information. He's been an integral part of curbing health crises from the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the United States to Avian Flu to H1N1 and more.
If Fauci doesn't have all the information, then the country is—for lack of a better word—completely screwed.
People were appalled at the governor's defense.
astonishing https://t.co/IP2BeBpMo1— John Harwood (@John Harwood) 1585949524.0
So much for that Midwestern common sense mystique. I’m from Iowa and it has been utterly depressing to see what has… https://t.co/bOkXlxjbMF— Ida Bae Wells (@Ida Bae Wells) 1585949798.0
Frequently wrong. Never in doubt, apparently. Man, sometimes I think I'd kill to have this kind of blind confidence… https://t.co/dX04SlVG6X— Diana B. Henriques (@Diana B. Henriques) 1585950125.0
He is literally the one person who has all the information! The GOP govs are as bad as the Dem govs are good—> https://t.co/B6jpZJabNR— Lis Smith (@Lis Smith) 1585946921.0
As much as I love my state, having people like @IAGovernor Kim Reynolds making decisions like this is shameful. We… https://t.co/rmhZ0vK1Wk— Rebecca from Iowa (@Rebecca from Iowa) 1585950447.0
It's safe to say that Fauci has more information and experience in these situations than any governor in the nation—including Reynolds.
I suspect that when it comes to #Coronavirus, the world-renown virologist has more information than the governor of… https://t.co/PpaHm4EJjB— AndrewFeinberg (@AndrewFeinberg) 1585950284.0
I just read her Wikipedia page and, yeah, she sounds more reliable than the guy who’s been studying infectious dise… https://t.co/68Z7ngAn1r— Kevin M. Kruse (@Kevin M. Kruse) 1585951472.0
what information does she think she has versus a doctor with decades of experience? oh never mind I see that she to… https://t.co/DwANUE9Yop— sarah (@sarah) 1585950868.0
The death toll in the United States from the virus recently surpassed 6000.
Information saves lives. Ignorance endangers them.