February 18, 2021: "Doctor Death:" or Donald J. Trump

 

2/18/21: There was a time, not so long ago, that now-Rejected-President Trump liked to claim credit for every positive development that occurred in this country, if not around the world. 

For example, on January 13, last year, he was crowing because deaths from cancer had fallen 2.2% from 2016 to 2017. 

Dr. Don immediately took credit. “U.S. Cancer Death Rate Lowest In Recorded History!” he tweeted. “A lot of good news coming out of this Administration.”

 

Now we should note, if we are to give Trump credit for every advance in U.S. healthcare outcomes – since he always hogged credit for everything good – that he was actually killing Americans at an alarming rate. Can’t claim the good, and ignore the bad, right? In the first six months of 2020, life expectancy in the U.S. dropped by more than a year, to 77.8 years for all Americans. That was the lowest mark since 2006. 

Using Dr. Don’s own standard, to claim credit for how the U.S. health care system does, he now becomes “Doctor Death.”

 

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THE DECLINE is likely to accelerate once the full numbers for 2020 and the early months of 2021 are compiled. As of February 16, the CDC reports that 486,466 Americans have succumbed after being infected with the coronavirus. 

(CDC keeps adjusting the numbers, and I started adjusting them, as well. From here on, I will keep the numbers I posted originally, and catch any adjustments as we give totals and go along.) 

2/9:    2,806

2/10:  3,645

2/11:  3,589

2/12:  5,520

2/13:  3,317

2/14:  1,317

2/15:  1,217

2/16:  1,396 

That brings the February total, so far, to 46,511. 

Too bad Trump can’t still tweet about how COVID-19 is going away, and not to sweat. It’s just another flu.

POSTSCRIPT: The Department of Justice announces that Imaad Zuberi, accused of a multiplicity of crimes, including funneling foreign money to the Trump Inaugural Committee, and then having plead guilty, has been sentenced. 

He will spend a maximum of twelve years in jail, pay a fine of $1.75 million, and pay $15.7 million in restitution. 

Playing off connections with members of Team Trump, Zuberi turned selling influence to foreigners and foreign nations into a lucrative, albeit illegal business. 

(See also: Thomas Barrack, 7/21/21.)