Breaking news: Donald Trump lied to make himself look better. We’ll give you a moment to process.
…
OK, moment’s over.
After Beth Cameron, the former senior director for global health security and biodefense on the White House National Security Council, wrote in The Washington Post that the Trump administration had disbanded her office in 2018, “leaving the country less prepared for pandemics like COVID-19,” PBS reporter Yamiche Alcindor asked the president if he counts himself at all responsible.
How about we take this to the next level?
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Related: LISTEN: Trump caught on hot mic before coronavirus address saying “Oh f**k”
Trump not only claimed “I don’t know anything about it,” he also called the question “nasty.”
“It’s the—it’s the administration. Perhaps they do that. You know, people let people go. You used to be with a different newspaper than you are now. You know, things like that happen,” he added.
Now video has emerged from 2018 in which Trump brags about his extensive cuts to public health organizations.
Related: In response to coronavirus, gay sauna refuses entry to people who are ‘too hot’
“You have consistently called for enormous cuts to the CDC, the NIH, and the WHO,” a White House reporter says in the resurfaced clip. “You’ve talked a lot today about how these professionals are excellent, are critical, are necessary. Does this experience give you pause about those cuts?”
“No,” Trump replies. “We can get money, we can increase staff—we know all the people. This is a question I asked the doctors before. Some of the people we cut, they haven’t used for many, many years, and if we have ever need them we can get them very, very quickly. And rather than spending the money—I’m a business person. I don’t like having thousands of people around when you don’t need them. When we need them, we can get them back very quickly.”
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Cam
That’s Republican’s goal, cut spending, keep taxes on the middle class and the poor the same or higher so they can use that money to cut taxes on the wealthy, and to funnel into their donor’s pockets.
After SARS, H1N1, etc. there was no justification to cut the budget to the CDC or the pandemic response office. He did it so that Trump, McConnell, Romney, Gates, etc… all got tax cuts.
Remember, Republicans have been trying for decades to get rid of the Post office to help their donors profit. Imagine working from home now if Fed Ex or UPS had no competition.
1. They would price gouge,
2. They don’t have the capacity to do what the Post Office does. But Republicans don’t care.
zimmy88
Um… Cam, UPS and FedEx ARE competition. Along with DHL and many others. And I personally never ship anything via USPS because their offices are usually disasters with long lines and cranky people.
Cam
@zimmy88
That’s like saying that American Airlines, Delta and United are competition or that drug companies are competition. No, they all price fix. IF the USPS wasn’t there, not only would the services be sky high, they don’t have the needed capacity.
And if you use Amazon, yes you do use the Post office because that’s who ships the majority of Amazon’s packages.
jayceecook
@zimmy88 Umm, I’m pretty sure DHL stopped US domestic parcel services live over a decade ago. So even IF what you are suggesting is true they aren’t a competitor. And who are these “others” you speak of? I mean the USPS, UPS, and FedEx are the only domestic delivery services I’m aware of. And don’t say Amazon Prime independent delivery people. They’re just a complicated extension of Amazon.
dougie
You’re pretty much on target – except that the Republicans are NOT trying to cut spending. Based on the last 3 budgets (4th one on its way), it’s safe to say that Republicans are the party of big spenders, with budgets that have set new records for deficit spending. And, guess who’s going to pay for that deficit spending? It sure won’t be the 1%.
Goforit
I have always been a “glass half full” kind of guy. If there is a silver lining to this pandemic, it is that it will be the final nail in the coffin of this treasonous pigs occupation of the office of the president. Sure, his cult followers and the fascist republicans on capital hill will defend him to the grave (oh please, oh please, oh please!) But that will not be enough to ensure his reelection. Come January 20th of next year we can back the paddy wagon up to the White House and haul the whole damn family off to prison.
Gadfeal
I hope that’s so but Trump is an instinctual creature who is what he is; what is egregious are Mitch McConnells who are intelligent but manipulate Trump to their extreme agenda while enabling his demagogery to keep them employed.
Trump was asked after he read that the Federal Government would use every resource in this pandemic, why his Administration fired the pandemic officer from the National Security Council. To that, he made it all about himself as a victim, “That’s a nasty question.” No, it was a valid question that tried to determine the reason for an action that seemed to reveal a “nasty” motivation in getting rid of a post that could save far more lives than the entire US military.
The CDC estimates that the best to worst case scenarios are 200 000 to over 1.2 million Americans killed by the end of 2020-21. That’s approaching about the number of Iraqis killed in the disastrous aftermath of a botched post-invasion “Civilian Administration”.
In the EU, the estimates would be 350 000 to 2.1 million killed (there are more elderly people and a larger total population)
However, the non-OECD nations tend to have younger population so the total world death from Covid-19 would be 2.3 to 12 million depending upon actions and the nature of the virus. That’s 0.025% of mostly non reproductive age, inactive people.
One bit of “nastiness” that some rags are suggesting is that the reason why the biggest, richest, best nation on earth has fewer than 10000 tests performed while S. Korea with 1/6 the population has had 1-2% of people tested (300 000 tests?) with drive through testing station, is that Trump blocked moves to secure adequate numbers of test kits as he wanted to avoid revealing just how bad the incidence was before the election!
I wouldn’t put it past him. It may be too late to contain infection in the US aready, if 85% are completely asymptomatic but infectious, each un isolated source would lead to 2000 new contaminations in 1 month. The only way to determine the incidence is to test everyone – not just those with symptoms.
It’s also time to replace the 2 century plus obsolete voting system. In Estonia, legislation is voted electronically. It is antidemocratic that senators and Congressmen don’t do their basic job and read, analyze and vote on laws; there’s no excuse for subverting democracy by simply following a shadowy Party leadership and not even reading the text of proposed laws before voting. Voting should be anonymous until after the fact and possible remotely.
Perhaps that’s too much democracy?
Sister Bertha Bedderthanyu
For the first time since he opened his mouth and announced he was running for president I honestly do think what this idiot did in the past or whatever idiotic comments he makes within the next month or so needs to be ignored. People, the stock market started off today with a modest gain but within two hours it was beginning to go into deep negative territory. Then presto, he holds his press conference where not a single person, including him, utter anything ignorant. This time around no one was visibly embarrassed to be on the podium next to him. What that means is we have a SERIOUS crisis on our hands and what he offered to do will mean that people will be able to eat (the $1k check to be mailed to all Americans). As for paying bills and such there is where the pure hell is going to hit with a vengeance. Is he going to make the phone companies and cable companies accept half of the regular monthly bill from people who can’t work and live from paycheck to paycheck? What about the utility companies? Will they have to do the same during the hot summer months when people are struggling to get back on their feet? And lastly what about landlords who can’t even evict people because there is practically no one with cash in the bank left to take over the lease? They bought those buildings to make money and have to pay taxes too. Do we stop public transportation in cities where every bus is loaded like a sardine can because of public reliance on public transportation? Do we cut fares for everyone? Where is the slack going to be picked up from? Are we conjuring money out of thin air to keep our way of life going since there is no money available to pay taxes? God forbid if a natural disaster were to strike at this time. Martial law would have to be declared.
What I’ve found interesting is how no one has mentioned the homeless population of Los Angeles and what is going to happen to them during this mess. Over half of them are already sick and hospital beds are stretched to capacity. Already Gov. Cuomo is begging for the Army Corps of Engineers to start making preparations for emergency medical facilities. HIV has nothing in comparison on the Coronavirus. I didn’t think the day would come when I would wake up and realize that I lived to see the day when a pandemic became the root cause of a change in how we all live.
jayceecook
Sister, it may be time to check yourself into the old hags home because you’re starting to make less sense each day. Also, that 1K check thing wasn’t even his idea. I think it was Mitt Romney who suggested it like yesterday or the day before. It’s also not set in stone so it may never happen. As for some of the other stuff you mentioned, do some research. It’s already underway. In my city all public busses are free for the foreseeable future. Phone companies, most, have already pledged to not cut services if you’re affected by the pandemic, which is pretty much all of us at this point. They signed that pledge last week. So have other utility companies. By laws already in place, they technically can’t during a crisis. Just like gas and electric companies can’t in states that have winters. Cable companies, at least some, have pledged to not cut services and some have waved late fees and uncapped internet data plans and download speeds for all customers.
As to who will pick up the slack. That’s, at this point, unknowable. But truthfully it *should* be the extremely wealthy. If they want to continue to profit off the backs of the rest of us they need to pony up. It’s their ethical responsibility under a civilization’s social contract. In fact if they don’t it could hurt their own interests. Without capital to spend how will they make a profit from the rest of us. So think of it as spending some money to make money.
And the stocks didn’t go up slightly because Trump was such a dynamic force showing great leadership during the press conference. It’s because that’s what naturally happens during a crisis. It happens after every president steps out to reassure the nation during times of great struggle. History shows us that. I mean, haven’t you been around for most of it? For some reason people develop a temporary state of calmness or whatever after a press conference so they start acting like things are returning to normal. But soon reality sets in and they’re back to panicking.
And to say HIV has nothing on COVID-19 is disgusting and dishonest. The fact that social distancing is happening, places are shutting down, and people are being asked to stay home is because it PREVENTS the spread of the virus. It LIMITS its lifespan. We would be so lucky if the same were true for HIV. That it was a virus that while unfortunately often results in the death of people with preexisting health problems and weak immune systems the majority will recover from. And possibly a vaccine will be developed to prevent it from occurring at this level again.
russellhm
Cable news must stop covering him. FOX will continue, of course, but let it be on their backs that he has media coverage as cable only has to file rates with the FCC and their political stance can be whatever the owner wants. See: Murdoch, Rupert.
Gadfeal
Fox News was banned from broadcasting by OFTEL, the UK broadcast regulator for not being “fair and balanced”, presenting propaganda as news. News has to show explicit effort as first reporting facts but editors are free to interpret in opinion columns; Fox News didn’t comply and were struck off for failing to show attempt at “Truth in Reporting”.
When a similar law was attempted for the FCC in the US, it was torpedoed by lobby groups controlled by a few ultra wealthy sources and super PACS of unknown funding sources.
Jon in Canada
Dear America,
He wants you dead.
Regards,
You know it’s true.
Goforit
Dear Jon: In most of the country, the feeling is mutual.
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
The Orange Puppet is so unbelievably frustrated because he simply can’t fire the corona virus…..
Joshooeerr
And it’s not just the CDC. Trump has decimated the EPA and a dozen other authorities. So it’s not just the people who can keep you safe from diseases and pandemics who are gone. It’s the people who can protect you from poisoning and contamination. From dangerous air pollutants. Trump and the Republican’s only have one core belief: business should be free and unencumbered to make money however they can, with no regulations or controls to hamper them (or protect consumers). This is the result. When death rates from COVID19 in America are proportionally much higher than in countries with stricter regulations and better funded disease control, will Trumpster finally see how deluded they’ve been? Probably not.
MISTERJETT
why does anyone even bother listening to this fool? has he ever said anything that wasn’t a lie? all of his supporters must like being lied to because they just keep their tongues in his behind. i think if he ever said anything that is true, he’d explode.
rbernard
Anyone who relies on what Donald Trump says, does so at their own peril and are fools.
Trump is a self serving, dishonest, narcissist and will say whatever he needs to say in order to retain power.
Milton
Yet Millions of republican donuts will vote for him in November and millions more democrat muppets won’t vote for the democrat candidate because the other one didnt make it.
dhmonarch89
the Biden campaign needs to use this info in multiple ads in swing states- DAILY.