9/11 to COVID-19: What Changed?

After September 11th, we came together as a country and rallied round the flag. But with COVID-19, it never happened—and it’s certainly not happening now. Why not?
That poignant question, from a caller to my daily radio show (who identified himself as Tony in San Diego), has no doubt occurred to many of millions of fellow citizens. Instead of facing down a national catastrophe with a shared sense of grief and determination, the pandemic promoted distrust and polarization. With the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attack rapidly approaching, it’s worth considering why America has responded so differently to a crisis that has left more than 600,000 dead from what President Donald Trump used to call “the invisible enemy.”…Click here to read the full column at Newsweek.com.