I think it is (although my comment about populism was not directly solely at the U.S.). As an outsider, I would attribute the poor pandemic response to lack of coherent leadership. The U.S. federal government is obviously incapable of pulling itself together across partisan lines for the greater good of the people it is supposed to serve. Even if you disagree about politics, the numbers do not lie. Just north of the border, Canada is doing literally ten times better (for the moment).
Don't get me wrong, I don't agree with the pandemic response. But everything I see suggests that American leaders truly, honestly believe the health crisis isn't important enough that it should override their other priorities. Many have explicitly argued that other causes they support are just as important as the virus.
