Just days after being praised for a “tone shift” on coronavirus, Donald Trump is once again doing what he does best: downplaying the virus, pushing junk science, attacking top health experts, and declining to take meaningful action.
The President has displayed no remorse for the nearly 150,000 lives lost to the virus, nor regret for the 4 million Americans who have been infected. Regardless of what he says from his politicized podium, the fact remains that President Trump is continuing to fail Americans and is making this crisis worse.
President Trump Is Once Again Pushing Junk Science…
On July 27, President Trump Shared Multiple Posts About Hydroxychloroquine, Which Were Banned From Facebook As “False Information.”
- “President Donald Trump exhibited his new serious tone toward the coronavirus crisis on Monday night, sharing a viral video of fringe doctors touting the controversial anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine as a ‘cure for COVID.’ The video, which also featured the doctors dismissing mask-wearing, was eventually taken down by Facebook for ‘sharing false information’ about the virus, after racking up millions of views in a matter of hours. Several right-wing outlets and personalities, however, continued to promote the clip of the doctors’ press conference on Twitter, eventually reaching the president’s timeline.” [Daily Beast, 7/28/20]
…Attacking Experts…
On July 27, President Trump Retweeted Posts Accusing Dr. Anthony Fauci Of Misleading The American Public On The Use Of Hydroxychoroquine.
- “White House coronavirus advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci on Tuesday defended his work advising the public on the coronavirus pandemic, saying he has not misled the American public ‘under any circumstances.’ The comment came in response to retweets by President Donald Trump on Monday evening. The posts, which have since been removed, accused Fauci of misleading Americans and promoted hydroxychloroquine, the malaria drug touted by Trump as a potential treatment for the coronavirus.” [CNBC, 7/28/20]
…and Urging States to Reopen Despite Surging Cases
On July 27, Trump Said “Governors Should Be Opening Up” States, Despite The Fact That Trump-Pushed Reopenings Led To A Massive Surge In Infections, Hospitalizations, And Deaths.
- “‘I really do believe a lot of the governors should be opening up states that are not opening,’ Trump said during a coronavirus briefing from the Bioprocess Innovation Center at Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies in Morrisville, North Carolina. ‘We’ll see what happens with them.’” [CNBC, 7/27/20]
…Just Days After Being Praised For His “New Tone” on Coronavirus
Politico: Trump Shifts Messaging: Coronavirus ‘Will Get Worse Before It Gets Better’
- “President Donald Trump on Tuesday diverged from his upbeat and dismissive rhetoric about the threat of Covid-19 during his first coronavirus briefing in nearly three months, exercising discipline as he read largely from a script and acknowledging the real scope of the virus as cases and fatalities climb to record levels across the country.” [Politico, 7/21/20]
Washington Post Editorial Board: Trump Has A New Tone On The Pandemic. But Not A New Strategy
- “In a return to White House press room briefings in recent days, President Trump has struck a more sober tone about the coronavirus pandemic. ‘It will probably, unfortunately, get worse before it gets better,’ he said in a rare departure from his usual sunny superlatives. He bowed to reality and made the correct decision not to hold a boisterous indoor Republican convention in Jacksonville, Fla. He has accepted the value of face masks. He admitted that some school districts might not be in position to open classrooms right away, as he had insisted for week.” [Washington Post, 7/25/20]