Why did Trump team fail to follow the NSC’s pandemic playbook?
Trump was so focused on getting everyone he deemed 'deep state' - those that did their duty by testifying during the impeachment, out of his way; that he was broadsided by the virus. That included many people in the National Security Council who were directly involved in assisting in maintaining relationships with other countries for early warning, and handling pandemic response strategies. He then failed to follow the playbook and guidelines set forth in advance that would have helped to avoid being unprepared.
To say he is doing such a great job, when he refused to follow similar strategies as Singapore and South Korea; is an overstatement. He has not listened to to those advising him, and in fact bullied them down, letting his ego take center stage over their recommendations. Many lives could have been saved had he acted sooner and advised us more cautiously. Soon, we will see the full scope of his failures; and the consequences of his delays- as America will be epicenter of this disease, because nobody really took it seriously enough when it mattered most.