Trump attacks media and hospitals, extends social distancing in hostile Sunday virus presser
It’s increasingly difficult to watch Donald Trump’s grandstanding delivery of spin, lies, and misinformation as we wait for Dr. Anthony Fauci — the only administration official on the White House Pandemic Response Team with a shred of credibility left— to tell us what is really going on with the federal response to the still-spreading coronavirus pandemic.
Trump’s performance today was one for the record books — until tomorrow at least — as the president repeatedly denied recorded statements he made just days ago as figments of the imaginations of vengeful reporters out to bring down his chances for reelection and tried to assign blame anywhere but with himself.
Vox’s Aaron Rupar has been dutifully compiling on his Twitter feed the best excerpts from Trump’s ongoing substitute for the rallies that he can no longer safely hold to give us a near-live commentary on the daily COVID-19 press conferences.
Here are a few of the highlights from today:
Trump as a paranoid shopkeeper thinking that his customers are stealing from him and lying about the poor level of customer service that they are receiving from a vendor with a worse attitude than Seinfeld’s soup Nazi.
"Many of the states are stocked up. Some don't admit it. But we have sent so much." — Trump paints governors who are asking for more federal help as complainers pic.twitter.com/fpaDBIlSiM
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 29, 2020
Rather than admitting that the Trump administration did not plan ahead to ensure that the nation had enough ventilators to handle a long-predicted pandemic, the president instead accused hospitals and the medical professionals who work in them of lying and hoarding.
TRUMP: "The modeling estimates that the peak in death rate is likely to hit in 2 weeks. I will say it again. The peak, the highest point of death rates, remember this, is likely to hit in 2 weeks … Therefore, we will be extending our guidelines to April 30, to slow the spread." pic.twitter.com/fPhtgmTchl
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 29, 2020
Ignoring his own February 26th statement that “within a couple of days” the number of coronavirus cases “is going to be down to close to zero,” Trump has now extended federal guidelines to maintain social distancing until the end of April. (Thank you, Dr. Fauci!)
Easter? Who said anything about reopening the country by Easter? Oh yeah, Trump tried to walk that statement back as well as merely “aspirational.”
OANN asks Trump a leading question asking him to talk about why his approval ratings are so high pic.twitter.com/m3dqbaJcbl
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 29, 2020
After ranting about the biased media on Twitter all day, Trump was equally nasty with them in person during the question and answer portion of the press conference…and equally racist as well, judging from his reaction to questions from two African American reporters.
Before attacking Alcindor, Trump took umbrage and questioned the integrity of a Bloomberg reporter who asked him about public statements he made the day before pic.twitter.com/TyBU8AgZER
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 29, 2020
Not that Trump’s responses to other reporters’questions were any better.
REPORTER: Florida has reportedly had 100% of their requests for supplies from the national strategic stockpile filled but Massachusetts has not. Why is that?
TRUMP, dodging: "I was on the call yesterday with the governors & they were happy with the job we are doing" pic.twitter.com/5PHJG25C7m
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 29, 2020
"Your statement is a lie" — Trump attacks a CNN reporter for asking him to explain his direct quotes from Friday about how he wants Democratic governors to be more "appreciative" pic.twitter.com/uv6fowVLZw
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 29, 2020
"The enemy is death," Trump says in conclusion pic.twitter.com/x4XOb2u4KR
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 29, 2020
Death may be everyone’s enemy, but Trump’s performance at today’s press conference demonstrates that he still considers a free press that calls out his lies and misstatements as his biggest enemy as he helps death find new foes to confront with his own incompetence.
Follow Vinnie Longobardo on Twitter.
Original reporting by Aaron Rupar at Vox.
