On Monday, Donald Trump announced his “timely and effective response to the coronavirus”. It is “a possible tax relief measure”. That’s it. Seriously. He’s going to talk to Republicans in Congress and ask them to cut taxes. Again. He cares only about goosing the economy, not about the people who are actually sick or dying.
Could anyone possibly be more tone deaf and insensitive?
Well, of course! Also on Monday, Health Secretary Alex Azar stressed in an interview on Fox News that the government is taking the pandemic seriously, saying the coronavirus “is a very serious health problem. Nobody is trying to minimize that.”
Well, nobody except Trump. Soon after that, Trump took to Twitter and downplayed the seriousness of the people dying from the coronavirus:
So last year 37,000 Americans died from the common Flu. It averages between 27,000 and 70,000 per year. Nothing is shut down, life & the economy go on,” he said. “At this moment there are 546 confirmed cases of CoronaVirus, with 22 deaths. Think about that!
Yeah, life goes on, at least some of it. And he had to mention his precious economy, which dropped so fast Monday they had to shut down trading on the stock exchange for a while.
Trump also told us that we should be grateful, because the price of gas is going down (because fewer people are using it).
However, because of a huge US investment in shale oil, we are no longer a net oil importer, so the old conventional wisdom that cheaper oil is good no longer holds. As an oil exporting nation, Monday’s stunning 25% drop in oil prices will actually hurt our economy because shale oil costs more to produce than they can sell it for now. Or as one investment strategist put it more bluntly, “You’ve got to remember, what Saudi Arabia and Russia are doing is trying to put the shale producers out of business in the U.S. because they are the ones who are increasing the world’s supply.”
What’s next? Will Trump have to bail out the oil companies?
8 Comments
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_XwC9IQKBc&feature=youtu.be&t=43
Hassan, does anyone actually believe Trump that anyone can get a test? As many sources have pointed out, this is absolutely not true.
In fact, even VP Mike Pence (the person Trump put in charge of fighting the coronavirus) said just the day before that they don’t have enough tests to meet the demand.
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/06/trump-anybody-who-wants-a-test-gets-a-test-amid-shortage-for-coronavirus.html
Also, if you are a student of body language, the other people standing around in this video (and I don’t even know who they are, but this was filmed at the CDC), don’t believe what Trump is saying is true. Watch how as Trump talks they start clasping their hands over their lower abdomen (crotch).
See https://www.psychmechanics.com/body-language-hands-clasped-in-front/
“Those who feel vulnerable in a situation but are required to show confidence and respect may clasp their hands over their crotch or lower abdomen.”
IK, shared it for fun, go to 45 seconds. He is comparing tests to his phone calls to Ukraine.
HHS Secretary Azar is the guy to the Leader’s right.
Robert R. Redfield, Director of CDC is to the Leader’s left.
In the blue tie with dots, that might be Steve Monroe, Associate Director for Laboratory Science and Safety.
Don’t know who the other two are.
“Anyone who wants a test can get a test.”
…just not immediately. But it’ll be free in 6 months or so.
I bet they spray down the orange man with disinfectant, and put him a hazmat suit every time he leaves a room. What does he care, when everyone in a nursing home and people over 50 that smoke and have a pre-existing condition die from this thing, then they can cut entitlement program spending. How’s that for cynical?
Coronavirus has contracted Trump I heard.
Trump just keeps lying. Today he falsely claimed that anyone coming into the US from Europe is being tested for the coronavirus. Not only is this not true now, no system like this is even being set up. https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/12/politics/fact-check-trump-coronavirus-testing-europe/index.html