The only thing worse than a pandemic is having Donald Trump as your president during a pandemic. Tens of thousands of Americans have died. Tens of millions have lost their jobs. President Trump, meanwhile, has indulged in self-pity, touted an unproven drug, bragged about the TV ratings of his press briefings, and expressed interest in the idea of people injecting disinfectants into their lungs — or, as we used to call it, committing suicide.
Every day, we have to worry about the president’s mental health when he should be worrying about our physical health.
After saying he wanted “the governors to be running things,” Trump said his authority was “total.” “The president of the United States calls the shots,” he explained. Three days later, he told governors, “You’re going to call your own shots.”
To the extent that Trump has a plan, it is to take credit for everything the governors do well and to blame them for everything he does poorly. On Wednesday, he faulted Georgia’s Republican governor for reopening businesses too soon. This was five days after Trump called for several states to be “liberated” from the guidelines he himself had issued the day before. Governors can’t do anything right. If they reopen businesses, Trump will blame them for deaths. If they keep businesses closed, he will blame them for a bad economy as well as deaths. By doing nothing, Trump hopes to be blamed for nothing.
Too late. He failed to prepare for the pandemic even though — and also because — there was a book outlining how to prepare for a pandemic. Trump doesn’t read much, know much, or learn much. He feels much and talks much.
“I’m not a doctor,” Trump said, “but I’m a person with common sense.”
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In the Trump administration, telling the truth is a fireable offense. Dr. Rick Bright, the director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, was removed for questioning the president’s recommendation of hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for the coronavirus. Now medical researchers have to worry about getting fired for not recommending ingesting bleach.
While visiting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last month, Trump boasted, “I really get it. People are surprised that I understand it. Every one of these doctors said, ‘How do you know so much about this?’ Maybe I have a natural ability. Maybe I should have done that instead of running for president.”
He should have. Our hospitals would be in much better shape if Trump were in one of them.
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"The only thing worse than a pandemic is having Donald Trump as your president during a pandemic." – @WindsorMann https://t.co/HYM1z9Ck88
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) April 24, 2020
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