We can’t declare a victory here before the victory’s won.
This virus is a thing at first I thought we could outrun –
But now, all of a sudden, it seems life has come undone.
I was way behind the curve before I even had begun.
My tone was cavalier before; now: somber and sedate.
I’m several trillion dollars short, and many days too late.
I never should have said this virus quickly would abate
When April came, since warmer temperatures would make it dissipate.
I danced around the truth, when facts were right there in my face.
I thought our commerce engine would resume its growth apace.
I put guidelines together: don’t shake hands; do not embrace.
I claimed people were dying – to return to their workplace.
Some said it’s best to ride it, like a cowboy, all the way through.
I won’t say who “they” were, but they all acted as if they knew
More than epidemiologists, as cases every day grew.
Respond to a pandemic – perhaps this wasn’t the best way to.
I said I’m not responsible; this whole thing’s China’s fault.
I’ll blame the CDC, who couldn’t bring it to a halt.
My role, each day in briefings, I now shamelessly exalt.
It’s going to be painful, yet in that wound I rub salt.
Governors complain (not each and every one, but some did)
That testing kit and PPE deliveries are stunted.
Whenever criticism comes my way, I am affronted.
I give myself a “10” – but on this test, top grade’s a hundred.
The Trump Poems 