Category: 2020 Election

Trump touted reopening. Privately, his team sounded alarms.

Tapes of conference calls of FEMA and HHS officials across the country reveal widespread worries about new waves of Covid-19 infections.

President Donald Trump boasted on May 1 that his success in responding to the coronavirus pandemic has made ventilator, test kit and mask shortages a thing of the past, and that much of the country is ready to quickly send peopleback to work.

“We’ve ensured a ventilator for every patient who needs one,” he said. “The testing and the masks and all of the things, we’ve solved every problem. We solved it quickly.”

But that same day, his own health and emergency management officials were privately warning that states were still experiencing shortages of masks, gowns and other medical gear, according to a recording of an interagency meeting between FEMA and HHS officials across the country, conducted by conference call, which was obtained by POLITICO. Continue reading.

The Trump campaign’s egregious editing of a CNN clip

Washington Post logoRegular readers know that The Fact Checker has been keeping close tabs on misleading or manipulated campaign videos. We have faulted both the Biden campaign and the Trump campaign for using snippets of quotes in misleading ways or out of context.

But this Trump ad, “American Comeback,” is unusual because CNN has written a cease-and-desist letter to President Trump’s reelection campaign, saying that remarks of two of its stars have been edited to give a false impression. The network said it would refuse to air the ad. The campaign rejected the complaint, saying the ad was “demonstrably accurate.”

That’s wrong. This is yet another clear example of how campaign ad-makers twist quotes and images to leave a false impression. The ad suggests Trump’s move to restrict travel by non-U.S. citizens from China is a key factor in the United States avoiding as many as 2 million deaths during the coronavirus outbreak.

HINT:  Maximum Pinocchios

Trump’s tax cut dreams hit Republican resistance

Key GOP senators oppose the president’s top priority for the next coronavirus aid package.

President Donald Trump’s demands for the next coronavirus aid package are running into a stubborn obstacle: his own party.

Asked what he thought of a payroll tax cut, the subject of Trump’s ultimatum for any new bill, Sen. Chuck Grassley didn’t hesitate.

“Right now, not much,” the Senate Finance Committee chairman said, worrying that the tax cut could drain retirement funds or leave older Americans with the view that Congress doesn’t take “seriously” the plight of the Social Security Trust Fund. Continue reading.

Trump ready to turn page on COVID-19, despite crisis-level cases

The Hill logoThe White House is preparing to wind down its coronavirus task force, officials said Tuesday, a decision that public health experts warn is short-sighted.

The decision to disband the task force, which includes medical experts, public health officials and leaders from various government agencies, is the clearest indicator yet that the White House is ready to turn the page to focus on the economy, even as doing so could lead to a spike in infections.

Vice President Pence told reporters that the task force may break up around Memorial Day, a timeline he previously cited for when he believes the worst of the pandemic will have passed. Continue reading.

President erupts at George Conway for ‘Mourning in America’ video, about the ‘deadly virus Trump ignored’

Washington Post logoGeorge T. Conway III, prominent attorney and husband of White House counselor Kellyanne Conway, has been trying with only modest success to provoke President Trump’s Twitter wrath for the better part of his presidency. He finally succeeded close to 1 a.m. Tuesday.

What set Trump off was a video, sponsored by the Lincoln Project, the anti-Trump super PAC that Conway co-founded with other Republicans and former ones. The video, released Monday, lays responsibility squarely at Trump’s doorstep for the severity of the ongoing coronavirusoutbreak, including the deaths and economic damage.

Tens of thousands nationwide have died of the “deadly virus Trump ignored,” says the video, called “Mourning in America,” inspired by President Ronald Reagan’s famous “Morning in America” 1984 campaign ad. Continue reading.

Graham’s embrace of Trump fuels competitive fight in South Carolina

The Hill logoSen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a vocal ally of President Trump‘s who is frequently in the political and media spotlight, is suddenly facing a competitive reelection race back home.

Graham’s alliance with Trump has helped him avoid a nasty primary fight, while fueling Democratic efforts to unseat him in November.

Scott Huffmon, a political science professor and the executive director for the Center for Public Opinion and Policy Research at Winthrop University, predicted that the match-up against Jaime Harrison, the former chairman of the South Carolina Democratic Party and Graham’s top opponent, could be “potentially a single-digit race.”  Continue reading.

Six months from Election Day, expect the expected

Things look as they did last November, which is good for Democrats

Anything can happen in November. At least that’s what we’re supposed to say. But is it really true?

Even in the middle of a global pandemic and after a historic impeachment process, the political environment hasn’t changed dramatically over the last year and a half. The coronavirus has crippled the economy and locked down the country, but it hasn’t been able to change voters’ minds.

With six months to go before Election Day, President Donald Trump should be regarded as at least a narrow underdog for reelection, the Senate majority is firmly in play, and Democrats are likely to maintain control of the House. That’s about how things looked six months ago, when the elections were a year away. And that’s good news for Democrats. Continue reading.

Trump’s unhinged rant about a new attack ad shows his weakness

Washington Post logoPresident Trump’s relentless focus on the most dire public health and economic crises in modern U.S. history must be excruciatingly stressful to him, which is surely why he took a short break Monday night to unleash an insane rant about a digital ad.

That rant comes as new reporting indicates that Trump is rebooting his reelection strategy, to move past the coronavirus and on to his plans to rebuild our economy in spectacular fashion.

But if you unpack the argument in Trump’s rant — yes, there really is an argument there — it actually points to profound weaknesses in his new reelection message, in a way that makes a real statement about the past decade of U.S. politics. Continue reading.

Trump’s new vaccine timeline met with deep skepticism

The Hill logoPublic health experts are pushing back on President Trump‘s claim that a COVID-19 vaccine will be available by the end of the year.

The Trump administration is racing to get a vaccine to the market quickly with “Operation Warp Speed” and has started to whittle down candidates.

The project’s goal is to have 300 million vaccine doses available by January, an accelerated version of the administration’s previous projections of needing 12-18 months to get a vaccine ready for the public. Continue reading.

White House prohibits coronavirus task force members from testifying before Congress in May

The Hill logoWhite House coronavirus task force members are prohibited from testifying before Congress this month under new guidance issued by the Trump administration Monday.

Task force members and key deputies have been instructed not to accept invitations to participate in congressional hearings in May, while other agencies responding to the pandemic are being advised to limit the number of hearings they attend.

Top administration officials argue the coronavirus task force and the primary agencies responding to the pandemic need to focus their attention and resources on response efforts, and that having them testify could use up critical hours. Continue reading.