Tag: Trump putting his re-election above American lives

Emails show Trump nominee involved in shelving CDC virus guide

WASHINGTON (AP) — A former chemical industry executive nominated to be the nation’s top consumer safety watchdog was involved in sidelining detailed guidelines to help communities reopen during the coronavirus pandemic, internal government emails show.

Now the ranking Democrat on the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee is questioning the role played by nominee Nancy Beck in the decision to shelve the guidelines. Beck is not a medical doctor and has no background in virology.

President Donald Trump has nominated Beck to be chairwoman and commissioner of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, a position that requires Senate confirmation. Beck is scheduled to appear before the Senate committee later this month. Continue reading.

‘Not an acceptable answer’: Trump rebukes Fauci’s concern over reopening schools

Washington Post logoJust one day after Anthony S. Fauci sparked frustration among prominent conservatives for urging a cautious approach to lifting restrictions and reopening schools amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, his critics found support from President Trump.

In a public rebuke of his top coronavirus task force adviser, Trump criticized Fauci’s stance and wholeheartedly championed bringing students back to school on at least two separate occasions Wednesday — during an afternoon White House meeting and in an interview with Fox Business Network’s Maria Bartiromo.

“I was surprised by his answer, actually,” Trump told reportersat the White House. “To me, it’s not an acceptable answer, especially when it comes to schools.” Continue reading.

Trump attacks point to Pennsylvania’s critical role in reelection bid

The Hill logoPresident Trump will travel to the prominent presidential battleground of Pennsylvania on Thursday, further submerging himself in a politically charged debate over whether states are opening too quickly or slowly amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Scores of protesters descended on the state Capitol last month to protest Gov. Tom Wolf’s (D) stay-at-home directive, and Trump cheered them on, tweeting Monday that Pennsylvanians “want their freedom now.”

It’s just the latest example of Trump urging demonstrators to rally against state stay-at-home orders; he previously suggested that citizens “liberate” the states of Michigan and Minnesota — two other swing states on his 2020 target list. Continue reading.

Trump hits serious headwinds in polls on COVID-19 reopening

The Hill logoPresident Trump is running against the polls with his calls for state and local governments to reopen their economies in an effort to stem the damage from what is likely to be the worst economic contraction in 90 years.

Despite the protests that have garnered attention in Michigan and other states, voters in a series of polls have said they are not yet ready to resume anything approaching daily life as the coronavirus pandemic continues to rage.

This raises some political risk for Trump, who fears a bad economy could swamp him in November, but who could face blame if states reopen too quickly and a new wave of COVID-19 infections hits the country. Continue reding.

Trump Disputes Ominous Death Projections With Fox News Talking Points

In an interview with ABC anchor David Muir, President Donald Trump repeated Fox News talking points about coronavirus models. This was his first broadcast network television interview since he spoke to NBC’s Chuck Todd in June 2019.

Fox News personalities have been using the wide array of COVID-19 models and projections to cast doubt on all modeling predicting the number of coronavirus-related cases and deaths. In response to rising projections of COVID-19 deaths in the country — and seizing on confusion about the number of the models, what they mean, and which ones are used by whom — Fox figures are downplaying the accuracy of models in general, calling them “a bit of a crapshoot,” and dismissing their predictions since “we don’t factor in human ingenuity.”

In his interview on ABC World News Tonight, Trump directly echoed that language: Continue reading.

Social Distancing To Fight Coronavirus: A Strategy That Is Working and Must Continue

Center for American Progress logoFor the last several days, President Donald Trump has become increasingly vocal in his opposition to the social distancing policies that state and local governments have put in place to slow the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, citing concerns about their business impact. This position is utterly reckless and contradicts the universal consensus of public health and infectious diseases experts. It also ignores the reality that allowing further spread of COVID-19 will result in more damaging and longer-term economic impact than continuing with social distancing. State and local governments must continue to lead in this crisis; measures that may seem overly disruptive remain essential to protect people’s health.

The United States is still in the early stages of this pandemic. For this reason, it may seem to some as though social distancing rules are unnecessary, overly onerous, or not working. In fact, evidence from other countries shows that social distancing interventions can slow the spread of COVID-19. Beyond the international evidence of social distancing’s effectiveness, there is promising data from states that were early adopters of key social distancing policies, including bans on large gatherings and closing bars and restaurants. Together, these case studies should reassure state and local governments that they are continuing on the correct path.

Social distancing and the spread of COVID-19

Mass testing allows officials to utilize up-to-date and localized data on the disease spread, including identifying asymptomatic individuals who can then isolate themselves before they further spread the virus. In the absence of widespread testing, however, the centerpiece of the public health response to COVID-19 is social distancing. The goal of social distancing is also to prevent contagious people from coming into close contact with healthy people in order to “flatten the curve”—slowing down the spread of the virus—which in turn helps to avoid a spike in cases that overwhelms the health care system. To lessen the chances of catching COVID-19, experts recommend that people stay at least six feet away from each other. Social distancing policies include telework and business and school closures. Continue reading.