Donald Trump returned to the White House tonight with a demonstration of the utter selfishness that defines his administration and the Republican Party in 2020.
Trump says he feels great, and maybe he does – pumped full of steroids and experimental treatments that aren’t available to most people (paid for by our taxes, since Trump doesn’t pay any), he could be fully able to do his job.
But when he took off his mask before entering the White House, he showed how little he cares about anyone else.
The reason you wear a mask these days is not just to protect yourself; it’s to protect others. If you are infected (and don’t know it) a mask is a pretty good way to keep the people you come into contact with from getting infected, too.
And right now, we know that Trump is infected, and is infectious, and can spread the virus to anyone he spends time with, particularly inside. That means his staff, and the hundreds of people who are not high-profile but work in the White House (including housekeepers, cooks, couriers, assistants to deputies … folks Trump apparently cares nothing about.)
Taking off his mask before he went inside and saying not to worry about COVID is a statement that since he’s okay (for the moment) nothing else matters.
Let the little people die. I am The Donald. I pay no taxes and have good health care.
There’s a larger issue here, that is at the root of the neo-liberal, Milton Friedman, Greed is Good approach that both parties have embraced as economic policy in the past 20 years. It’s the concept that it we all do what’s best for ourselves, in the end society will be better.
It doesn’t work in economics, and it doesn’t work in public health.
For everyone in our world community: Masks make a difference. Not just for me our you, but for all of us. Please.
This is after Jerome Powell warned that without additional stimulus the economy will be facing another downturn. The whole key is widespread testing. If everyone in the country could be tested twice weekly then every business and school could open safely. We have the capacity and the resources to do this, it just isn’t being organized at the federal level. The states and the private market don’t have the organizational capacity. Truly a shame how many lives are being ruined and destroyed.
As far as Biden doesn’t get sick or die I think it will be a landslide for Biden and the Democrats. If Biden were to become incapacitated i don’t know what would happen I guess Harris would be on top of the ticket or Bernie Sanders.
Trump is essentially a nihilist – he wants to destroy everything in sight . Look what he just did – he nixed the stimulus plans and now the stock market is in free fall – at this point he wants to do as much damage to as many people as possible.
Yes, the New York state prosecutors are jumping at the bit to prosecute him . Ironically almost everyone in his home state despises him.
That is an interesting point. Surely Trump knows that he faces criminal charges the moment his term ends. And it is increasingly apparent that he will not be as lucky this time around. Hillary was not popular, and her arrogant decision to run up the vote count led to Trump’s electoral college win. She assumed she had a lock in usually blue states, and she didn’t. Even Trump expected to lose. He faces a very unpleasant future.
Maybe he wants to die. Suicidal people engage in risky behavior. Death might be a better alternative than complete annihilation at the polls, possible prosecution and jail time and the collapse of his business empire like the house of cards it really is . Infecting everyone else on the way out is like dropping a nuclear bomb and going out in a blaze of glory.