Trump worries during virus presser that his rallies “wouldn’t look too good” with social distancing
Over a million Americans have now contracted COVID-19 and over 60,000 have died. The economy is in absolute tatters and most people find themselves locked inside their homes, many unable to work as they watch an interminable slew of bills and living expenses chew through what savings they have. It is, in just about every sense, a national catastrophe.
This crisis has been rendered even worse by our incompetent leadership. We have a president who downplayed the threat posed by the novel coronavirus outbreak from the start and who still refuses to take any responsibility. His administration, in turn, is full of sniveling lackeys who refuse to hold him accountable and his party is full of sycophants willing to defend even his idiotic suggestion that injecting disinfectants could help fight the virus.
Today, the human disaster that we refer to as the President of the United States once again met with CEOs and blathered on about the pandemic and once again it proved to be a disturbing medley of blatant lies and befuddling statements. As usual, his goal was to make himself look good and as usual, he achieved the exact opposite effect.
Trump whined that we “shouldn’t be hearing about testing” for COVID-19 but that it’s getting news coverage because the media has run out of ways to criticize his administration. He then promised that there will be “astonishing numbers” of tests done in the coming weeks before immediately backsliding into downplaying the severity of the pandemic.
“I don’t know that all of that’s necessary,” Trump said of the increased testing, ignoring the fact that medical experts overwhelmingly agree that ramping up testing is one of the keys to beating this virus.
“You shouldn’t be hearing about testing, but that’s the last thing [the media] can complain about I guess … I don’t know that all that [testing] is even necessary” — Trump downplays importance of testing, which he suggests is a luxury (experts say more testing is necessary) pic.twitter.com/2eMSedp4aR
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 29, 2020
The president also erroneously claimed that COVID-19 will simply disappear without a vaccine, echoing his claims during the outset of the pandemic that it would miraculously vanish.
REPORTER: Without a vaccine, why do you think the virus will just be gone?
TRUMP: “It’s gonna go. It’s gonna leave. It’s gonna be gone. It’s gonna be eradicated.” pic.twitter.com/WdGkrVaAx7
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 29, 2020
CNN’s Daniel Dale reports that Trump at one point said he can “feel” that the economy is going to have a “very good year” next year as the country rebounds from the pandemic. The president compared this magical thinking outcome to his winning the 2016 election. The obvious difference went unspoken, but his winning was a devastating blow to this country whereas an economic upswing would be an unmitigated good.
Trump on his economic optimism: "I'm seeing it. I feel it. I've felt a lot of things over the years, including gee I think I can win for president. You know? And frankly I really feel that next year's going to a very good year economically."
— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) April 29, 2020
Trump also made time to complain about his current inability to hold rallies and said he hopes that changes in the “not too distant future.” Making it clear that ultimately he only really cares about PR and stroking his ego, he worried that making people adhere to social distancing at rallies and having them sit far apart “wouldn’t look too good.”
As always, this president’s priorities are completely warped.
Trump: "Hopefully in the not too distant future we'll have some massive rallies and people will be sitting next to each other. I can't imagine a rally where you have every 4th seat full, every six seats are empty for every one you have full. That wouldn't look too good."
— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) April 29, 2020
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