Let’s be frank: our current leadership is failing us! I recognized this long before, but after viewing the documentary Totally Under Control on Hulu, which meticulously details the numerous ways this administration has let us down — from misinformation to poor handling of the pandemic — it’s abundantly clear that we’ve been fed a constant stream of falsehoods.
The documentary’s title says it all. The phrase “totally under control” became a repeated mantra for the administration, a misguided attempt to calm the fears of countless Americans anxious about becoming victims of incompetence. The global pandemic has affected nations differently, largely depending on the effectiveness of their leadership and guidance.
Our nation is struggling, and the tragic loss of over 225,000 American lives can be traced back to President Donald Trump’s mismanagement. He convinces himself that everything is fine, expects us to believe it too, but I don’t buy it. You shouldn’t either.
This documentary effectively lays out the numerous chances the president had to rectify his mistakes. It illustrates that when faced with the option to act responsibly, President Trump has consistently chosen poorly. Rather than taking accountability, he passes the blame like a child playing a game, falsely accusing prior administrations of negligence. This is nothing but fake news.
Every administration has a foundational playbook — a reference guide for those stepping into the White House to help navigate the transition. In May, PBS highlighted the pandemic playbook that the Obama Administration created for the next president: “The document, originally discovered in March by Politico, is a 69-page National Security Council guide developed in 2016 to support leaders in coordinating a complex U.S. Government response to a high-consequence emerging disease threat.” What more could have been done to prepare the Trump Administration to manage this pandemic?
Two years before the outbreak, funding for programs designed to safeguard Americans from pandemics like COVID-19 was cut by the Trump Administration. This included the dismantling of agencies established during the Obama years that focused on disease security. Trump’s decision-making resembles a toddler’s — misguided and irrational.
So, what should we do when faced with a president who disregards scientific guidance and the successful strategies of past administrations? We create documentaries like Totally Under Control that expose how he obscures the truth about critical issues in an attempt to maintain a polished image.
He is not focused on saving American lives; his priority is protecting his own reputation. Acknowledging the reality of the situation would require taking action to address the problem, rather than merely trying to improve stock market numbers or assuring Americans that everything will be fine. True progress would come from a leader who confronts challenges head-on, listens to experts, and works to prevent further loss of life.
As I absorbed the documentary, I found myself wrestling with questions. Why do some people continue to support this president? Why can’t they see the damage he has caused? What makes them blind to his erratic behavior?
Ben Kenigsberg from the New York Times captures the essence of the film perfectly: “[Totally Under Control] also serves to elevate the voices of those who sounded early alarms about the virus, whose warnings were drowned out by complacency, incompetence, and political maneuvering.” This aspect of Trump’s legacy is perhaps the most troubling — he silences knowledgeable voices that could save lives, allowing misinformation to take precedence over expert advice.
I can’t help but wonder how drastically things might have differed if Barack Obama had been at the helm during this crisis. If he had been responsible for over 228,000 deaths, or had suggested dangerous remedies for COVID-19, would people have believed him? This is not how President Obama would have managed the pandemic. Under his leadership, a similar viral outbreak (H1N1) was met with prompt action, resulting in significantly fewer deaths.
At the time of writing, the United States has witnessed over 227,000 deaths in just nine months due to a president who has consistently proven he is ill-equipped for the responsibilities of his role. Totally Under Control serves as a stark reminder of how actions speak volumes compared to even the loudest proclamations.