Trump has already justified his inept response to the virus by arguing that no one saw it coming. In point of fact, everyone did but him. He made a deliberate choice to downplay the threat in order to maintain confidence in the markets. Pay me now, or pay me later: he’s suffering the consequences today.
But even if the impacts of the virus had been completely unforeseen, he wouldn’t be entitled to any sympathy, because dealing with unexpected problems is part of the job. Jimmy Carter didn’t anticipate the Iranian revolution. Reagan and Bush 41 didn’t plan for recessions. Bill Clinton didn’t run for president promising to bomb Belgrade. Bush 43 might have been a reasonably decent president but for 9/11. Obama didn’t run through the primaries promising to save us from a huge recession. Why should Trump be any different?
Because he’s Orange Jesus, I guess.