What's the difference between hysteria and legitimate concern?

Trump's repeated mocking of mask-wearing has planted the idea that his supporters don't have to wear masks either, causing people to unnecessarily and recklessly spread the virus in an act of misguided defiance.

The travel ban he imposed was against only China and its neighboring countries. Assuming a travel ban would have worked (it wouldn't, but that's another story), most of the immigrating infected came from Europe and its neighboring regions. Oops.

Trump didn't put us in lockdown, the states locked themselves down while Trump fidgeted about on whether we should take the virus seriously or not, leading to mass panic and an inconsistent nationwide response to the pandemic that furthered its damaging effects.

Trump's daily "talks" amounted to infighting with his own medical experts, peddling the idea that lowering testing rates will somehow lower the infection rate, blaming Democrats for everybody's problems, and mocking social distancing and mask-wearing, the only things that have so far kept any of us safe.

Trump definitely saw the virus as a threat, since he knew how dangerous it was since at least February, but he kept mum about it because PR was more important than keeping the nation safe. (1/2)