masks and the stockpile. Of course with the implication that this is all because Trump is in office, would never happen under any other POTUS, and why "he has blood on his hands". We see that criticism lobbed often around here, but no one ever seems to ask why they weren't already there? Was the thought of needing these things for a pandemic not known before 2016? Did Trump deplete them and not replenish them? Why are states so lacking in their own stockpiles and did they ignore such warnings? Well let's see, shall we:

"We rate this claim TRUE because it is supported by our research. There is no indication that the Obama administration took significant steps to replenish the supply of N95 masks in the Strategic National Stockpile after it was depleted from repeated crises. Calls for action came from experts at the time concerned for the country’s ability to respond to future serious pandemics. Such recommendations were, for whatever reason, not heeded."

Again, no one is arguing there wasn't some foot dragging, unwarranted in hindsight optimism, and better ways we could've gone about this looking back now. I would like to believe the task force felt they were making lots of progress by mobilizing private manufacturers, testing labs, pharma cos., etc., and surely we were seeing many businesses step up, but perhaps that belief was not warranted. But to act like this situation is only due to Trump being at the helm, and that it couldn't possibly happen under any other POTUS, is disingenuous at best.