The language of leadership in a deadly pandemic

1 The pandemic’s impact has been profound and has extended beyond its economic consequences for individual businesses and industries, posing a calamitous threat to those infected and to the global supply chain and social stability worldwide The politics of pandemic speech Before the actual dangers of the virus were fully apparent, U S President Donald Trump used daily press briefings to make unremittingly positive claims downplaying the risk of an epidemic and asserting the virus did not pose a significant risk to the nation Critics have suggested his “happy talk” was actually intended to reassure the stock market, maintaining its earlier gains being a critical element of his re-election strategy On March 3, 2020 – three weeks before his COVID-19 diagnosis and hospitalization– UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “I was at a hospital the other night where I think there were actually a few coronavirus patients and I shook hands with everybody, you’ll be pleased to know, and I continue to shake hands ”