In fairness the ventilator thing is only part of the Trump administration in that the Trump administration is responsible for all agencies and the buck stops there. However, maintaining the stockpile, to include the services contract, was a DHHS responsibility. Does being a GS who owns a $40M services contract makes some poor bastard part of the Trump admin? Or is it just some GS who until a few months ago was just trying to figure out a contract protest?
Being ready for a pandemic is up there with being ready for a full-on war. There ought to have been a "greenie" board of key items of readiness that gets touched on, on a regular basis by senior leadership. If you took over the top job as CO/Director, what would your first actions be in getting the lay of the land? Its not like folks didn't know ventilators weren't important, that's why there was a contract.
Why were 2,000 bad ones even shipped in the first place? How much time was wasted sending them and receiving them?
It was an "own goal", and they deserve the bad press they get.
This is worth watching. Doctor speaking the truth.