You're right. Now they're calling him racist and xenophobic for shutting down travel to Europe, and complaining how inhumane (and inhuman) he is for not letting "refugees" over the border.
You seem to think that the Fed letting states take the lead on this is a bad thing. Seems to me that's the way it SHOULD be. Certainly the way it was intended by those old white slave-owners who wrote that ancient outdated document that lets everyone have fully-semi-automatic assault weapons.
Why SHOULD the federal government step in when it's being dealt with in other ways?
Trump doesn't need to dictate to the states, but he does need to lead. As I've been posting about in this thread, he and his team (esp Pence as head of the task force) have been downplaying the virus. Not even 10 days ago, Trump was babbling on about "15 cases and very quickly going to zero". Well, now it's 100x that number. You lose all credibility when you say dumbass things like that. And without credibility he cannot lead. He started on that road to redemption last night, but he will need to do more to get ahead of the virus and win back the confidence of the people. As I've said umpteen times already, replacing Pence with Scott Gottlieb would be a significant step in this regard. Trump and the task force (not just the task force - this is #1 priority for America and the world, so Trump needs to focus on this, not simply hand it off to his idiot VP) need to lay out suggestions for the states, and they need to share that with the public, so that we can see there is a coordinated plan, not just a random free-for-all at state and local jurisdiction levels even while they do have to adapt for local situations. Even today, I've seen people complaining about being refused testing because they hadn't been in China recently. WTF? The initial criteria set by CDC was boneheaded and now it will take time for the changed criteria to filter through to local doctors and administrators - this coordination needs to be much improved!
I previously suggested a rough outline of steps we need to take to contain this epidemic. Trump needs to hold a presser and lay out a plan (he should consult with Gottlieb, not Pence or the incompetent who runs the CDC who has botched multiple aspects of the response) and then have the federal government implement that plan, including getting a deal done with Congress (one that is tailored specifically to containing the virus, not Trump's payroll tax relief or the Dem's wishlist), and press the states to hold up their end, again, realizing that state/local response will be tailored to local situations.
Right now, the average person has no idea what the governments plan is - all they see is officials reacting out of the same panic they feel. This is not confidence inspiring, and it adds to the fear. This is why you see people rushing to the stores to buy anything - they're not even sure what to buy, but it makes them feel better to do something, since they have no idea what the authorities' plans are.
It's not too late for Trump to get hold of the reigns, but he needs to act quickly - the virus doesn't waste a minute. If he does, and does so competently, we can have this under control in 6-8 weeks. And he will look like a hero. If he doesn't, this will drag on for several months and he will lose the election.
