the only ones downplaying this shit was Trump with his stupid memes. If you thought the pandemic would be over in 6 months you were drinking the coolaid and he absolutely should be remembered for it
This is just completely inaccurate -- not even remotely close to correct. You're confusing the most pessimistic early takes (which proved to be more correct, if not entirely correct) with what most people thought of the pandemic when it first hit the U.S. Most people didn't expect major disruptions to go on for months because almost no one alive has experienced anything like this. And there's no way anyone could have known how voting would look in November even if they bought into the most pessimistic takes right off the bat.
This is just completely inaccurate -- not even remotely close to correct. You're confusing the most pessimistic early takes (which proved to be more correct, if not entirely correct) with what most people thought of the pandemic when it first hit the U.S. Most people didn't expect major disruptions to go on for months because almost no one alive has experienced anything like this. And there's no way anyone could have known how voting would look in November even if they bought into the most pessimistic takes right off the bat.