The “leader of the free world” is traditionally a source of reassurance in times of crisis. But the current US president, Donald Trump, is providing confusion, not leadership. Instead of damping down the flames of the coronavirus outbreak, his Oval Office address on Wednesday poured fuel on them. The mood was hardly helped by the World Health Organization declaring the virus a pandemic the same evening. But Mr Trump’s 30-day ban on travel to America from most European countries triggered new record falls in markets on Thursday. With the global economy already struggling to avoid a recession, it dealt another sharp blow to confidence.
傳統上，「自由世界的領袖」是危機時期給人們帶來安慰的源泉。但美國現任總統唐納•川普(Donald Trump)帶來的卻是困惑，而不是領導力。他週三在橢圓形辦公室發表的講話非但沒有撲滅新型冠狀病毒疫情的火焰，反而火上澆油。當晚，世界衛生組織(WHO)宣佈新冠肺炎(Covid-19)爲全球「大流行病」，這對撫慰情緒幾乎沒有任何幫助。但川普對大多數歐洲國家實施爲期30天的赴美旅行禁令，促使市場在週四創下新的跌幅紀錄。全球經濟本就在艱難地避免衰退，而這對信心造成了又一次沉重打擊。