Trump’s Approach to the Pandemic Is Lying, Denial, and Spin
Maybe look like you care, and tell people to be cautious
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Trump sees nothing but good news in the coronavirus. Unlike other world leaders with better health and economic results, who aim to limit death and economic loss with masks and containment, Trump’s approach is a mix of lying, denial, and spin.
His latest “I’ll say anything” is that we should stop testing to reduce cases (he insists he’s not joking and is actually reducing testing sites) and that the death rate is declining. Don’t celebrate just yet.
We were at the train stop called “abject denial” back in February, as cases went undetected through the community. Then, we didn’t test because Trump wouldn’t prepare and we couldn’t see the deaths about to come. Now it’s willful—he’s telling supporters not to get tested.
I found the incompetence of February slightly better than purposeful negligence of June, but I suppose it’s a matter of taste.
Now, Trump plans to end support of testing sites on June 30. Because, again, if we can’t see it, how could it be happening? And how could people not tested infect others? (People from outside the U.S., please, the laughing is very impolite.)
Eventually, those cases moved from younger people with no or slight symptoms to the older population, and people started to get hospitalized and die. We remember that, right?
So when cases moved from the first states to the next ones, like Texas, Florida, and Arizona, were they ready with contact tracers, testing, and isolation? Nope. They instead crowed that the first states were irresponsible, and they needed to get back to business without those silly things.
Now 26 states are headed in the wrong direction. Seven states are on the mend. And the rest are in the middle.
Is the first reaction to case growth caution? Nope, it’s a combination of lying, cheating, and repositioning.
