Hogan Bashes Trump Coronavirus Response In Washington Post Op-Ed

ANNAPOLIS, MD — President Donald Trump first addressed the coronavirus pandemic on Jan. 22, saying "We have it totally under control." On April 18, Gov. Larry Hogan welcomed a South Korean plane carrying 500,000 coronavirus tests to Baltimore Washington International Airport.

Now it's July 16, and Hogan is criticizing Trump in a Washington Post opinion piece. How did we get here?

If you ask Hogan, a moderate Republican, he'd say the federal government hung states out to dry with an insufficient coronavirus response. Trump, on the other hand, would say the country's robust testing system made Hogan's purchase from South Korea a frivolous expense.

"It was hopeless, waiting around for him," Hogan wrote in his Thursday op-ed. "Governors were being told that we were on our own. It was sink or swim. And if I didn’t do something dramatic, we simply would not come close to having enough tests in Maryland."

Critics, including Hogan, said Trump downplayed the severity of the pandemic and overestimated the number of tests the country had available. In March, Trump said that any American who wanted a coronavirus test could get one.

About 2,000 Americans had been tested at that point. Spread across 50 states, that wasn't enough, Hogan said.

As Hogan and other governors continued to ask for more resources, Trump reasserted in April that testing was the states' responsibility. Maryland had about 12,000 coronavirus infections and more than 400 deaths by this point.

Hogan said he feared that the state could not know the true scope of the virus if it did not have widespread testing. That's when he turned to one of the world's leading testers: South Korea.

The governor has a unique relationship with South Korea, the birthplace of his wife, Yumi Hogan. In his op-ed, Hogan said South Korean President Moon Jae-in called him the "son-in-law of the Korean people."

The Hogans leveraged this relationship with the South Korean president and its ambassador, eventually striking the $9 million deal that sent half a million coronavirus tests to the Maryland. The deal wouldn't have been possible without the first lady's connections, bargaining and translation, the governor wrote.

“Congratulations, honey,” Hogan told his wife when the tests arrived at BWI. “You helped save a lot of lives.”

The testing supply should last well into the fall, Hogan said at a Wednesday press conference. The arsenal has helped Maryland conduct nearly 873,000 coronavirus tests. With kits secured, Hogan's goal is to test 10 percent of every jurisdiction in the state.

While the Hogans touted their atypical deal, Trump criticized the foreign diplomacy. Hogan remembers that disapproval in his op-ed.

"The governor of Maryland could’ve called [Vice President] Mike Pence, could’ve saved a lot of money," Trump, a fellow Republican, said. "I don’t think he needed to go to South Korea. I think he needed to get a little knowledge."

Hogan's ongoing feud with Trump is a major theme in his upcoming book, which this op-ed draws from. The memoir, called "Still Standing" comes out on July 28. Analysts say the release and upcoming book tour are a sign that Hogan may consider running for president in 2024.

The virtual book tour features several well-known Republican guests. Hogan will have conversations with former new Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (July 29), former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (July 31), former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (Aug. 3) and former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice (Aug. 6).

"Still Standing" was initially slated to make its debut on June 9, but Hogan pushed the date back as coronavirus became the state's top priority.

More than 75,000 Marylanders have tested positive for coronavirus. The virus has killed 3,215 people in the state.

While Maryland has seen decreased positivity rates and increased testing, the number of new daily cases is trending slightly upward. The state reported 733 new cases of coronavirus on Tuesday, the largest jump in more than a month.

On Thursday, Maryland clocked 648 new cases. This time last week, that number was 586. New daily cases topped out at 1,784 on May 19 and were as low as 260 on June 18.

Coronavirus-related deaths are down, however. Daily deaths peaked at 68 on April 29. The virus killed three people on Wednesday.

The state has not reported more than 20 new deaths since June 20. Daily deaths have hovered between two and 18 since then.

Hospitalizations, which peaked at 1,711 on April 30, are also down. As of Thursday morning, 436 Marylanders were hospitalized with the virus.

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