Well, not until 2016,
The NSC devised the guide — officially called the Playbook for Early Response to High-Consequence Emerging Infectious Disease Threats and Biological Incidents, but known colloquially as “the pandemic playbook” — across 2016. The project was driven by career civil servants as well as political appointees, aware that global leaders had initially fumbled their response to the 2014-2015 spread of Ebola and wanting to be sure that the next response to an epidemic was better handled. – Politico
Until they chose ignorance,
The Trump administration disbanded the “pandemic response” team, but some of the team members were reassigned to roles that included pandemic response. – Reuters
Politico has also reported that, in the days before Trump was inaugurated in 2017, his incoming team — including many who would become his Cabinet officials — were warned about a flu epidemic that “could become the worst influenza pandemic since 1918. – Washington Post
and denial,
We have contained this…pretty close to airtight. – Larry Kudlow
Now we pay the price,