This commentary argues that the United States needs a unified federal response to mobilize the nation to address the health and economic crisis in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Although state and local leaders have actively, and sometimes aggressively, addressed the COVID-19 pandemic, neither can accomplish the enormous undertaking needed to respond. Instead, federal leaders need a unified resolve to defeat this epidemic. Unfortunately, current leadership has communicated in ways completely opposite of what is needed – providing numerous untruthful statements, giving a false sense of optimism, and using self-praise instead of providing immediate, honest, collective responses. By utilizing the communicative practices used by President Franklin D. Roosevelt when entering World War II, current leadership could unite the country towards overcoming a pandemic that is destroying more than people’s health.