Tag: Trump putting his re-election over American lives

Trump falsely suggests wearing a mask at his Tulsa rally could be harmful

He anticipated a “wild evening” where “people do what they want.”

President Donald Trump told Axios on Friday that he anticipated a “wild evening” at his Saturday campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, while recommending “people do what they want” when it comes to wearing a mask at the event — and even suggested it could be harmful to wear one.

Trump’s comments come as the city has seen a surge in Covid-19 cases in the past few weeks. They also stand at odds with recommendations from public health officials in his own administration who recommend mask-wearing whenever social distancing isn’t possible, and with warnings from experts that indoor concerts and shows are natural superspreading events.

Trump’s rally Saturday — which will take place at an indoor arena that seats 19,000 people — will be the first one he’s held in months after taking a break from them due to the global pandemic. But despite the coronavirus still raging across the US — and surging in the very city he’s going to campaign in — he repeatedly dismissed the threat of the virus and expert-recommended mitigation strategies during his interview with Axios. Continue reading.

Six Trump campaign staffers test positive for coronavirus ahead of Tulsa rally

Axios logoSix of President Trump’s staffers, who were part of the campaign’s advance team for the president’s Saturday rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, have been quarantined after testing positive for the novel coronavirus, the campaign told Axios.

Why it matters: Trump’s Saturday rally is expected to draw tens of thousands of supporters and protesters. The president has specified that face coverings at the event are optional, telling Axios’ Jonathan Swan on Friday: “I recommend people do what they want.”

What they’re saying: “Per safety protocols, campaign staff are tested for COVID-19 before events,” Tim Murtaugh, Trump campaign communications director said in a statement emailed to Axios. “Six members of the advance team tested positive out of hundreds of tests performed, and quarantine procedures were immediately implemented.”

What Bolton’s Memoir Really Tells Us About Trump – And Him

What can we learn from John Bolton’s new memoir? History will not absolve him, his execrable ex-boss Donald Trump or the Republican political apparatus that has enabled the toxic Trump regime.

Well before Bolton’s book arrived, we already knew the single most important fact about the Trump presidency and Trump himself: He and the Republicans who surround him are willing to sacrifice tens of thousands of American lives if their deaths might somehow promote his reelection.

The latest attempts by Trump and Vice President Mike Pence to pretend that the deadly coronavirus is now, as the president said, “fading away,” only provide fresh evidence of their bloody perfidy. If the present infection trends continue — intensified by events like Trump’s Tulsa rally — then we will have buried more than 200,000 Americans before Election Day. Continue reading.

Dr. Fauci, Tulsa Officials Warn Against Trump Rally

Public health experts are warning about the risks of Trump holding a campaign rally in Tulsa as the state experiences record increases in new coronavirus cases. Once again, Trump has put his ego over the advice of health experts.

Dr. Fauci warned of the risk of Trump holding his Tulsa rally and said “of course” he wouldn’t attend because of coronavirus.
Washington Post: “‘Of course not’: Fauci says he personally wouldn’t attend Trump’s Tulsa rally, citing coronavirus”

Tulsa public officials and health experts say “there is nothing good” about Trump’s rally and “it’s like seeing a train wreck coming.”
Tulsa Health Department Executive Director: “I recommended it be postponed until it’s safer.” Continue reading “Dr. Fauci, Tulsa Officials Warn Against Trump Rally”

The Memo: Trump’s risky Tulsa rally

The Hill logoPresident Trump is about to make a high-risk return to the campaign trail.

Trump will hold a massive rally in Tulsa, Okla., on Saturday, at a time when coronavirus infections there are rising steeply.

Any upsurge in cases that could be linked to the event, set to take place at a 19,200-capacity indoor arena, would be a political nightmare for a president facing a tough reelection battle. Continue reading.

Pence Says All 50 States Reopening In ‘Responsible Manner.’ Fauci Says Otherwise.

The Wall Street Journal published the vice president’s propaganda about the coronavirus. Here’s what he got wrong.

Vice President Mike Pence painted a rosy ― and misleading ― portrait of the U.S. government’s response to the coronavirus and the current state of the crisis in an op-ed published Tuesday in The Wall Street Journal.

In one section, Pence, whom President Donald Trump appointed in late February to lead the White House’s coronavirus task force, praised all 50 states for beginning to reopen in a “safe and responsible manner.”

But Dr. Anthony Fauci, the lead infectious disease expert on the task force, suggested that isn’t the case during an interview with NPR earlier Tuesday. Continue reading.

Mike Pence reportedly urged governors to reiterate a misleading claim that coronavirus infection spikes are due to increased testing

Cash-starved states are forced to make massive job cuts. Reopenings for some restaurants and bars are short-lived amid new infections.

Vice President Mike Pence urged governors during a call to use a misleading claim to explain the recent COVID-19 outbreaks in coronavirus cases across the US, The New York Times reported Monday.

The claim, which has repeatedly been touted by the Trump administration, says the reasoning behind what Pence called “intermittent” spikes coronavirus cases in various states is increased testing, The Times reported.

“I would just encourage you all, as we talk about these things, to make sure and continue to explain to your citizens the magnitude of increase in testing,” Pence told governors, according to audio obtained by The Times. “And that in most of the cases where we are seeing some marginal rise in number, that’s more a result of the extraordinary work you’re doing.” Continue reading.

Trump Administration Says It’s Not Forcing People Back To Work. Workers Disagree

Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia is letting states deny unemployment benefits even to people at risk of severe COVID-19 illness.

President Donald Trump’s labor secretary didn’t like it this week when Democrats accused him of forcing workers off unemployment insurance even if their jobs presented a risk of severe illness from the coronavirus.

“Just to be clear, we have never suggested that workers should sacrifice health for returning to work,” said Eugene Scalia, leader of the U.S. Department of Labor, at a Senate hearing on Wednesday. “We oppose them being put to that choice as well.”

But the Trump administration, in coordination with state workforce agencies, has been forcing workers to make that choice for weeks. The president has called for workers to be “warriors” for the economy, and the Labor Department is prodding them into battle as the virus continues to spread. Continue reading.

No Sign Of Antifa So Far In Justice Department Cases Brought Over Unrest

U.S. Attorney General William Barr has repeatedly blamed anti-fascist activists for the violence that has erupted during demonstrations over George Floyd’s death, but federal court records show no sign of so-called antifa links so far in cases brought by the Justice Department.

NPR has reviewed court documents of 51 individuals facing federal charges in connection with the unrest. As of Tuesday morning, none is alleged to have links to the antifa movement.

Of the cases brought so far, 20 involve allegations related to arson; 16 involve the illegal possession of a firearm, more often than not by a felon; another eight people face charges related to inciting a riot or civil disorder. Continue reading.

Trump to restart MAGA rallies this month despite coronavirus

The president and his team believe the massive protests in recent weeks will make it harder for critics to single him out.

Donald Trump is planning to restart rallies in the next two weeks in a major turning point for the president since the coronavirus shut down traditional campaigning.

Trump’s advisers are still determining where the rallies will take place and what safety measures will be implemented, depending on the type of venue chosen. Campaign manager Brad Parscale is expected to present Trump with possibilities within the next few days.

The president has been itching to resume his boisterous rallies, his favorite way to connect with supporters and let off steam. He’s planning to use the events to drive home what is expected to be a major theme of his campaign: that he is the leader of the country’s reopening and economic rebound. Trump held a hastily-called press conference Friday to celebrate an unexpectedly strong jobs report, and his campaign immediately began running a massive ad campaign seizing on the news. Continue reading.