Too late.

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I am grateful the Northeast has strong governors. Working hard, they met the coronavirus threat and acted. Including our own Gina Raimondo, the governors give honest, steady and responsible information. Compared to them, White House leadership looks frail and indecisive. The White House is flailing. Fortunately, governors and mayors across the country have taken the lead. Credible federal authorities like Dr. Anthony Fauci and Dr. Deborah Birx give responsible information but Trump contradicts them. White House briefings deliver conflicting, dangerous, inflammatory and petty information. The man who claimed “I alone can fix the system” has stumbled the nation into a fix. He is too inept to lead us out of it. When asked, he claims he is not responsible for the slow response to the virus. Why are governors and mayors leading when we have a national epidemic?

During a national health crisis, this president delivers a daily reality show. Trump fills the stage with members of the Coronavirus Response Team who alternately praise him, deliver propaganda and sometimes provide useful information. Hogging most of the time, he contradicts useful team information, picks fights with the press, blames others and whines. He heaps praise on himself, moans about bad luck, brags about a future recovery and acts like he is at a political rally. He often makes false claims about what federal government has done or can do. We need honest, steady, and responsible information. Trump gives us nonsense.

The Republican Party is responsible for bringing Trump to us. It is long past time for the Republicans to admit their error and force him to stand down. If someone is unfit to drive, take the car away from them. If someone is unfit to lead a country, remove them from office. If the Republican Party cares about the republic, it will use the 25th Amendment or impeachment to remove Trump. High crimes and misdemeanors are whatever Congress says they are. Yes, it would be a political vote. That is what impeachment is. It would be a political vote by Congress to save the Constitution and the nation. We now have both a public health and an economic crisis. Congress should remove Trump from the bridge before the ship of state begins taking on water.

Joseph Sciarillo

Westerly