Tag: Trump mishandling pandemic response

The President Who Doesn’t Want Us To Know What Went Wrong

In the Broadway classic “Guys and Dolls,” a gangster named Big Julie From Chicago informs participants in a crap game that they will be using dice specially made for him — with “invisible” spots. “These dice ain’t got no spots on them,” protests Nathan Detroit, the game organizer. “They’re blank.” But Big Julie, a practiced cheater as well as a thug, is ready. “I had the spots removed for luck,” he replies. “But I remember where the spots formerly were. Do you doubt my memory?” “Big Julie,” says Nathan with resignation, “I have great trust in you.”

President Donald Trump channeled Big Julie From Chicago during his White House spin classes over the last few weeks, insisting — not for the first time — that he hadn’t said things the entire world heard him say and insulting reporters who had the nerve to quote him back to him. “Don’t be a cutie pie,” snarled the leader of the free world at one reporter who asked him about the thousands of Americans dying each week. But he was particularly incensed at proposals that the country actually try to learn what the federal government knew about the pandemic, when we knew it, what we did about it and what we are doing.

One proposal circulating in Congress would create a National Commission on the COVID-19 Pandemic, “not just to look back at prior practices and mistakes but to learn lessons as quickly as possible to better protect the United States going forward.” The bipartisan body would consist of five Republicans and five Democrats. To ensure that it would not interfere with our response or become a tool in the presidential election, its members would not even be appointed until after the inauguration, and the new president would appoint its chair. Presumably, if Trump is reelected, that would be Jared Kushner. Continue reading.

Economist Robert Reich: Trump is shamelessly ‘exploiting chaos for personal gain’ during the deadly coronavirus crisis

AlterNet logoWords like “incompetent” and “inept” have often been used by President Donald Trump’s critics to describe his response to the coronavirus pandemic. And while economist Robert Reich, a vehement Trump critic, doesn’t necessarily disagree with those adjectives, he has another term to describe Trump’s coronavirus response: power grab. And in an op-ed for The Guardian, Reich (who served as secretary of labor under President Bill Clinton the 1990s) lays out why he sees it that way.

“The utter chaos in America’s response to the coronavirus pandemic — shortages of equipment to protect hospital workers, dwindling supplies of ventilators and critical medications, jaw-dropping confusion over how $2.2tn of aid in the recent coronavirus law will be distributed — was perhaps predictable in a nation that prides itself on competitive individualism and hates centralized power,” Reich explains. “But it is also tailor-made for Donald Trump, who has spent a lifetime exploiting chaos for personal gain and blaming others for losses.”

Reich goes on to cite some examples of “chaos” during the pandemic — which, according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, has killed more than 70,000 people worldwide (as of Monday morning, April 6). Continue reading.

‘Confusion, Fear And Distrust’: U.S. Hospitals Slam Federal Coronavirus Response In Watchdog Report

Topline: An internal government watchdog reportreleased Monday offers the first glimpse into the Department of Health and Human Services’ response to the coronavirus outbreak, with hospitals saying conflicting guidance, along with equipment shortages, has left healthcare workers feeling their safety isn’t insured while treating COVID-19 patients.

  • The report was conducted from March 22 to March 27, with 323 hospitals surveyed.
  • The report describes severe equipment shortages, with hospitals unable to obtain the masks and protective gear required to keep workers safe.
  • Faulty or expired equipment was received by some hospitals, with one describing the elastic bands on N95 masks as having rotted, or were sized for children, instead of adults.
  • Thermometer shortages also left hospitals unable to take employees’ temperatures, the report said, leaving them unable to monitor staff for signs of the coronavirus.
  • A shortage of testing kits was also reported, with wait times for results up to one week, decreasing bed availability in hospitals and forcing workers to use up more protective gear.
  • Ventilator shortages left hospitals scrambling to repurpose anesthesia machines or double up patients on one machine, the report said, with hospitals fearing “difficult decisions about ethical allocation and liability.” Continue reading.

Politics Should Not Determine if Americans Receive Aid To Combat Coronavirus

Center for American Progress logoThe Trump administration’s process for getting critical medical supplies to the states and localities that need it to fight the coronavirus pandemic has been an absolute disaster. Confused, disorganized, and opaque, President Donald Trump’s laissez-faire approach has generated a Lord of the Flies-like atmosphere where states are biddingagainst other states—and even the federal government itself—for lifesaving equipment such as ventilators. Meanwhile, every day, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) pleads on national television for more ventilators and personal protective equipment (PPE) from the federal government. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), so frustrated with the disorganized and politicized federal response, is now calling on the White House to appoint a nonpartisan senior military officer to quarterback these efforts.

But worse than just a logistics failure, recent reports suggest that Trump may again be abusing his public office for private gain. Last week, details emerged that some states, such as Florida, had received everything they requested from the federal government, while other states, such as Michigan and Louisiana, received only a fraction of the requested supplies. Florida has a Republican governor who is vocally supportive of Trump, while the governors of Michigan and Louisiana are Democrats who have been critical of Trump’s coronavirus response. This week, Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law and adviser, sparked outrage when he suggested that federal resources belonged to Trump and his administration, rather than to the public: “The notion of the federal stockpile was it’s supposed to be our stockpile. It’s not supposed to be states’ stockpiles that they then use.” The administration then proceeded to alter the webpage on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services website to reflect Kushner’s new inaccurate description a day after his remarks, and the president himself has implied, repeatedly, that federal support depends on how well he perceives himself to be treated by governors. “It’s a two-way street,” he said last week. “They have to treat us well.” Federal officials have said this aid is being solely distributed on the basis of need, but they have not demonstrated any transparency in their process.

The politicization of aid has dangerous implications

There are multiple problems with the Trump administration’s decision to politicize aid, particularly during a pandemic. Continue reading.

Trump is ‘killing his own supporters’ by mishandling the coronavirus pandemic: Administration insider

AlterNet logoDonald Trump now joins Dr. Anthony Fauci and Dr. Deborah Birx (two key members of his coronavirus task force) in warning that COVID-19 could kill tens of thousands of Americans in the months ahead. But journalist Lloyd Green, in an op-ed for The Guardian, warns that Trump is still handling the pandemic badly in many respects — stressing that his actions will hurt his Republican supporters along with those who don’t support him.

“Trump is telling NFL owners he wants the season to start on time,” Green explains. “He is disregarding Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advice on wearing face masks in public. And he is touting untested coronavirus cures live on national TV. Think Trump University on steroids — only this time, we all stand to be the victims.”

Green asserts that Trump should be paying attention when Fauci stresses that there is no evidence to suggest that hydroxychloroquine — which the president is very bullish on — could be used to treat COVID-19. Continue reading.

Trump’s coronavirus commentary bolsters attack ads questioning his fitness to lead

Washington Post logoWithin days of President Trump’s assertion that “I don’t take responsibility at all” for coronavirus testing failures, Democrats were spending millions in key November states on an ad that replayed a series of his most pungent remarks.

“One day, it’s like a miracle, it will disappear,” Trump can be heard saying of the virus, before the ad ends with his refusal to let the buck stop with him.

As audio of his comments played, a chart showed the soaring spread of coronavirus in the United States, which now has the highest number of confirmed cases worldwide. Continue reading.

CNN host spars with Trump economist Navarro for touting ‘social scientist’ credentials in hydroxychloroquine fight: ‘Why should we listen to you?’

AlterNet logoAxios’ Jonathan Swan has reported that Dr. Anthony Fauci and Peter Navarro (policy coordinator for the Trump White House’s trade policy) had a heated argument in the White House’s Situation Room over the benefits of hydroxychloroquine as a way to possibly treat coronavirus. Navarro, like President Donald Trump, has been pushing chloroquine aggressively  — while Fauci has strong reservations. And the merits of hydroxychloroquine (which has been used to treat malaria) in relation to coronavirus were hotly debated on Monday morning, April 6 when Navarro appeared on CNN’s “New Day” and was aggressively grilled by host John Berman.

Berman emphasized that Navarro lacks Fauci’s medical expertise, asking why someone would believe Navarro over a well-respected “infectious disease doctor” like Fauci. When Navarro described himself as a “social scientist,” Berman responded that being a “social scientist” is not the same as having medical expertise.

“I’m sorry, that doesn’t qualify you to treat patients,” Berman said. “You know it doesn’t qualify to you treat patients.” Continue reading.

Inspector general finds hospitals face ‘severe’ shortages of needed coronavirus supplies

The Hill logoHospitals across the country reported serious shortages of tests and protective equipment in the fight against coronavirus and concerns about being able to keep health workers safe, according to a new inspector general report.

The report from the Department of Health and Human Services inspector general released Monday found “severe” shortages of tests for hospitals to use and “widespread” shortfalls of protective equipment, known as PPE, to keep health workers safe.

“Hospitals reported that widespread shortages of PPE put staff and patients at risk,” stated the report conducted March 23-27. It consisted of interviews with administrators from 323 randomly selected hospitals across the country.  Continue reading.

Health experts call for Roosevelt-style programs to kill virus, revive economy

The Hill logoA first-of-its-kind program that will deploy almost a thousand people across Massachusetts may be a small-scale test of what public health experts hope could eventually stamp out the coronavirus even before a vaccine becomes widely available.

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker (R) said Friday that his state would join with Partners In Health, a Boston-based global health nonprofit, to turn staffers into contact tracers, the backbone of any robust public health effort to squelch a deadly disease.

Those contact tracers will interview people who have been infected with the coronavirus to determine who around them might also have been exposed. Those who may have been exposed will be warned to watch for symptoms themselves, giving public health officials a window into how the coronavirus is spreading and who might next be at risk. Continue reading.

Trump, officials describe ‘light at the end of the tunnel’ as cases mount

The Hill logoPresident Trump on Sunday struck a more optimistic tone about the country’s progress in its effort to combat the coronavirus even as some of his top health officials predicted the coming week would be akin to Pearl Harbor or the 9/11 attacks in terms of its impact.

“We see light at the end of the tunnel. Things are happening,” Trump said during a White House coronavirus task force briefing. “We’re starting to see light at the end of the tunnel. And hopefully in the not too distant future we’ll be very proud of the job we all did. You can never be happy when so many people are dying, but we’re going to be very proud of the job we did to keep the death down to an absolute minimum.”

The president and other members of the task force sought to assure the public that the country may be close to getting through the worst of the pandemic. While Trump spoke of a “light at the end of the tunnel,” Vice President Pence identified “glimmers of hope,” and coronavirus response coordinator Deborah Birx said data from Italy was giving the U.S. “hope for what our future could be.” Continue reading.