Trump's COVID-19 record is the single greatest failure in US history. We need a new president.

Millions of you living in small towns and cities across this country are on the fence about your presidential vote. You want to make an informed decision. You are frustrated with Washington. The “elite,” from both political parties, has failed large segments of our population — perhaps including you — and candidate Trump tapped into that frustration. 

Many of you voted for him as a “disrupter,” believing that things needed to change.  Understandable. But the time has come for a reckoning. And that’s a challenge. So much of what you hear and read is inside Washington baseball, competing political narratives dressed up by high-priced PR firms. Sadly, much is simply not true, and the first presidential debate certainly didn’t help restore your faith in the quality of political discourse. As you consider your vote, you’re having difficulty correlating the noise you hear, to life in middle America.

Let me offer some thoughts. I am admittedly a creature of Washington. But I would like to think I represent what you expect and deserve from a federal government employee. I'm someone you’ve never heard of, but who spent 42 years attempting to do “good government,” serving seven presidents of both political parties. 

America is on the wrong track

Most recently I was the Acting Director of the National Counterterrorism Center, trying to protect you and your families. Earlier in this administration, I received an award from the president for "sustained extraordinary achievement," an honor reserved for the top 1% of Senior Executives. The following year I was fired. And if you care, I’m an independent. I voted for neither this president nor for Hillary Clinton. I wrote in former Ohio Gov. John Kasich.  

My background is relevant only insofar as it reflects a certain understanding of our government — the good, bad and ugly. And in that spirit, I offer some thoughts on how an undecided voter might weigh a vote in November.

Many of you probably don’t spend much time immersed in global or even many national issues — you’re understandably focused on your community, raising your family and improving life at a local level. But engage in a thought experiment: Step back and imagine your community as a microcosm of the country as a whole… or, our country as a member of a community of nations. If two-thirds of your community felt it was going in the wrong direction, as is the judgment in national public opinion polls today, would you want change? Or, if all other communities gave yours the lowest favorability rating on record, as is the case with the current global standing of the United States, would you be content?

Bring it on:Trump wants to run on his record. We hope he does. It's been a disaster for America.

And imagine the implications as you seek to improve your community for the benefit of your children. What if you were confronted with a regional problem — one that could only be addressed in cooperation with other communities? But yours, operating under the mistaken belief that you could unilaterally make your community great, is unwilling to work with others to solve ever-worsening regional problems. That “beggar thy neighbor,” head-in-the-sand attitude is this president’s approach to climate change, a phenomenon science shows to be an existential threat to the community of nations — and to your local communities. The dire effects for your children and grandchildren would be the legacy of this president. 

COVID worst ever government failure

Perhaps forgiveness would be warranted if the disrupter had risen to the challenge of a national crisis. Unfortunately, when it comes to COVID, the administration’s attempts to excuse itself equate to putting lipstick on the proverbial pig. I know a thing or two about systemic government failure. I testified before the 9/11 Commission and then spent the subsequent 17 years involved in efforts to address the failure that was September 11th. 

Sadly, the COVID response will go down as the single greatest failure of the federal government in the history of the republic. Even if you don’t have friends or relatives among the over 200,000 dead Americans, the adverse impact on your children’s education and the overall disruption of your lives is substantially worse than it needed to be. Overwhelmingly, that is because of the inadequate leadership of the Executive Branch. 

The first presidential debate:Trump's performance shook American democracy to its core

This president is not the source of all our problems, but he has failed the country by making many problems worse and creating others. We’ve gone from being a shining city on a hill to the object of scorn and even pity. From a leader of the world to a bit player.  Given the deep-seated schisms in this country, I don’t know if former Vice President Joe Biden can restore our status. But I know this president can’t, and for the sake of your communities, the country and the world, we need to make a change.

Russ Travers retired from Federal Service in July after being removed as the Acting Director of the National Counterterrorism Center. The views expressed are solely his own and do not imply endorsement by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence or any other government agency.