Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Tuesday blamed the Democrats’ push to impeach President Trump in January for distracting the Trump administration from the threat posed by the coronavirus.
“It came up while we were tied down in the impeachment trial. And I think it diverted the attention of the government because everything every day was all about impeachment,” McConnell said in an interview on “The Hugh Hewitt Show.”
Trump has come under sharp criticism for the nation’s slow response to the spreading pandemic, especially for the shortage of coronavirus testing kits when the virus first spread to the United States.
More than 160,000 Americans have tested positive for COVID-19 and more than 3,000 people have died from the virus in the country.
……..
The president told CNBC’s Joe Kernen on Jan. 22 at the World Economic Forum in Davos: “It’s one person coming in from China. We have it under control. It’s going to be just fine.”
Trump also said he trusted information coming from the Chinese government, telling the CNBC host, “I have a great relationship with President Xi.”
……..
The Senate voted to acquit Trump of two articles of impeachment on Feb. 5 after a three-week trial and months of investigation by the House.
- Discussion
-
McConnell says Dem impeachment push distracted government from coronavirus threat https://t.co/siQ3w2o5RI pic.twitter.com/lhOQwqt94m
— The Hill (@thehill) March 31, 2020
The CDC issued its first warning on Jan 8.
Trump held campaign rallies on Jan 9, Jan 14, Jan 28, Jan 30, Feb 10, Feb 19, Feb 20, Feb 21 & Feb 28.
He golfed on Jan 18, Jan 19, Feb 1, Feb 15, Mar 7 & Mar 8.
The first time he admitted the coronavirus might be a problem was Mar 13
— Pé (@4everNeverTrump) March 30, 2020
Why was Trump still denying the virus was a threat, then, nearly a month after his acquittal on February 27th? https://t.co/fG0lwCssWk pic.twitter.com/Twr9RzaQlt
— Emily A. (@emzorbit) March 31, 2020
Yes, I remember Eisenhower saying, 'Churchill and de Gaulle were driving me crazy, that's why D-Day failed!'
— JoeReynolds2020 (@JoeReynolds2020) March 31, 2020
But yeah, it's amusing to see them vacillate from "BOLD, DECISIVE ACTION" to "DEM IMPEACHMENT DISTRACTION" *while holding that both cases are true*.
It truly is breathtaking to see how far down this cult goes.
— Rob needs sci-fi 🚀 (@daltonator) March 31, 2020
Cognitive dissonance assumes cognition, but that was the first thing his cultists sacrificed on the altar.
— Johnny Toothpix (@JohnnyToothpix) March 31, 2020
Wait, so impeachment (which ended February 5th) was so traumatic that it caused Trump to downplay the pandemic for weeks, initially request only $2 billion for pandemic response, and go play golf, while South Korea was marshaling public and private forces to wage war on COVID19?
— Edward Oh 🇺🇸 (@EdwardHBOh) March 31, 2020
The horse manure sure piles up high in DC.
As has been pointed out, Trump had plenty of warning and plenty of opportunity to ready this country for the pandemic. He really had no role to play in the impeachment itself. He didn’t testify, he didn’t produce documents or perform any other tasks related to the impeachment. All he did during that time was whine and moan about the so-called witch hunt, go out on his never-ending rock star tour, or spend time goofing off at Mar-a-Lago. I’m sue people tried to tell him, but Trump is not one to be told what to do. He had been known to dodge security and other briefings and not listen to his advisers, particularly if doing so might mean he actually has to work.
As I’ve said all along, Trump is and has been a pretend president. I believe he thought he could be like Obama — not really have to do anything as president, just goof off and when necessary, have others do the job for him.
This virus has shown Trump for what he is — a cartoon character and nothing more. Now his fans and worshipers will always be on his side, but I think those outside the cult, particularly independents and undecideds, are not liking Trump’s lack of leadership. McConnell and others can blame this virus spread and our lack of preparedness on everyone under the sun but Trump, but the fact is, whether Trump likes it or not, the buck stops at his desk. He could have shown great leadership in a crisis. He did not. And I hope that whoever is left to vote in November will remember that.
President Trump: "I don't think I would've done any better had I not been impeached. And I think that's a great tribute to something. Maybe it's a tribute to me." pic.twitter.com/WW2QABo9C7
— The Hill (@thehill) March 31, 2020
OMG!
Like the opera singer, it’s always
Me, Me, Me, Me!
On the plus side, this dubious talking point is dead. https://t.co/AqXC1aNXJ2
— Noah Rothman (@NoahCRothman) March 31, 2020
You must be logged in to reply to this topic.