By the way, why did the media downplay the issue when COVID first appeared? If all of this was planned then why didn't they immediately push the narrative that they have now?

Are you really so ignorant that you miss the reality of the world we live in and how it's manipulated by the media and its masters? Trump and other, "Populist," leaders were allowed to win elections because the globalists needed to solidify the divide they sowed back during the W admin. The 9/11 false-flag gave us the Patriot Act which, has been broadened/expanded every time our not-actually-elected reps vote to renew it. The Patriot Act is the backbone of the control/surveillance/propaganda state--without it we wouldn't be where we are today.

Bush - 9/11 false-flag + Patriot Act + beginning of irreparable polarization of the populace

Obama - Strengthened Patriot Act + Smith-Mundt Act modernization (allows the US government to use it's propaganda domestically) + furthered the peoples' polarization

Trump - Solidified the polarization resulting in EVERY topic becoming part of the irreparable political divide + Blackrock now runs the US Treasury + Operation Warp Speed

Trump's term as president was the final nail in America's coffin (as well as other NATO and vassal states). He gave up the keys to the castle and lowered the draw-bridge because that was his job--the reason he was allowed to win in 2016. The MSM, controlled by the intelligence community, pushed whatever propaganda was needed to demonize MAGAts because increasing politically-driven hate was more important (at the time) than pushing covid fear-porn. It was also useful to demonize Trumpers as racists/xenophobes because it allowed the Wuflu to more-easily spread around the country (and the world). Because Trump labeled the MSM as, "Fake News," the effect on a politically polarized USA (and Western World) was that anti-Trumpers felt inclined to believe the media simply because Trumpers didn't believe it. Once covid had spread around the country the fear-porn began. The plan worked perfectly because it gaslit the average person (especially left-leaning retards) who bought the narrative hook, line and sinker. This made it VERY easy for the MSM and their intelligence community handlers to change the narrative as they saw fit. At that point it didn't matter what the MAGA crowd thought because most of them had already abandoned the MSM but, the anti-Trump crowd had doubled-down on their trust in the MSM. That's why the MSM got away with downplaying covid and then flipping the script. They did the same with the vaxx.

If voting worked (((they))) wouldn't let us do it.