February 26, 2020: President Trump Says the Country is in Great Shape, COVID-Wise

 

2/26/20: President Trump is back from India. Did anyone miss him? While he was there, he avoided any comment regarding Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s new citizenship law, which most observers agree discriminates against Muslims. Instead, he praised the Indian leader for “working very hard on religious freedom.” A few miles away from where he spoke, Hindu vs. Muslim mob violence flared, leaving 30 dead and hundreds injured. 

Trump certainly didn’t remember, either, when sectarian violence exploded in 2002 in Gujarat, the state where Modi was governor, leaving more than 1,000 dead. 

Then again, how often do we have to be reminded that Trump has a soft spot for any and all authoritarian leaders?

 

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WORRIES ABOUT A PANDEMIC continue to rattle global nerves. But not Trump’s nerves of steel. He’s totally oblivious to science. Just to be safe, however, on Wednesday, he placed VP Mike Pence in charge of the battle to stop any spread of the COVID-19 virus in this country. 

 

The president says the “U.S.A is in great shape.” 

Breaking developments are coming fast and furious. A person in California, with no known exposure (no previous trip to China, for example), tests positive for the virus. South Korea has 1,600 cases, including at least one 23-year-old U.S. service member. Korean and American generals cancel joint military exercises. The State Department warns against travel to that nation. 

Around the world, the dominos continue to topple. A 38-year-old Greek man who had traveled to Northern Italy tests positive. Seton Hall University cancels all spring study abroad programs. A Romanian citizen, who had direct contact with an Italian citizen who traveled to Romania, sickens, making that country the forty-fourth to report at least one case. Norway and Georgia (the country) join the COVID-19 club, with the patient in Georgia having recently traveled to Iran. The first case in Brazil is a that of a tourist who just returned from Italy. That would mean anyone aboard the ship or plane he boarded would be at risk. Twenty cases are under investigation in San Paolo, a city of twelve million, each a potential nexus for spread of disease. China reported “only” 433 new cases and 29 deaths on Wednesday; but since the Chinese government is known to censor everything, including the word “democracy” on the internet, you figure their numbers are suspect. So far, China has admitted to having 78,497 cases of the disease.

 

HHS Secretary Alex Azar told reporters that masks aren’t the “be all, and end all” of virus protection, which is a good thing, since he admitted the day before that we were a little low in the mask-supply area. As for any vaccine that might be developed to fight the threat, well, Azar said, it “might not be affordable” for all Americans, because the Trump administration would have to “trust the private sector to invest.” 

Members of Congress, of course, are in a dither, thinking they might not get re-elected if Americans in large numbers begin toppling over dead. Sen. Chuck Schumer called on colleagues to approve $8.5 billion in emergency spending to deal with the COVID-19 threat.

 

On Wednesday, the Dow Jones rose 300 points in morning trading, on good news about the “slowing” spread of COVID-19 in China. The market retreated again and lost another 123 points. Late Wednesday, futures were trading lower as a number of companies began reporting expected sales and earnings declines. 

President Trump said on Wednesday that the fears of a pandemic were overblown and the “U.S.A is in great shape.”

 

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“Whatever happens, we’re totally prepared.” 

IS THE DANGER overblown? At this point, the simple blogger would say, in the United States, it is. Then again, do most of us really believe the Trump administration knows what it’s doing? Or would tell the truth if it doesn’t? 

After Trump congratulated himself yesterday for having done a great job so far of limiting the spread, a top health official at the Centers for Disease Control gently added, “Our aggressive containment strategy here in the United States has been working,” Principal Deputy Director Ann Shuchat said. “However, we do expect more cases, and this is a good time to prepare.” 

When asked by reporters what Trump thought would happen – would the disease spread – he decided that the best way to avoid lying was to talk total nonsense instead. “I don’t think it’s inevitable. It probably will. It possibly will. It could be at a very small level or it could be at a larger level. Whatever happens, we’re totally prepared.”

 

So, what will happen? We don’t know. Trump doesn’t know. If scientists try to explain the threat, his mind will no doubt wander. Meanwhile, our government has warned us to “exercise increased caution” if we plan to travel to Italy. Soccer games in several countries have been cancelled or will be played in empty stadiums. Spain announces a cluster of five new cases in one day. Hundreds of tourists in the Canary Islands remain penned up in a four-star hotel, after several guests test positive. At least they’re near the beach. Bahrain has 26 cases, Kuwait, 25, Germany 19, France 18, as of Wednesday. Nepal reports one, a traveler who visited China. Iran, another country known for authoritarian control of “Fake News,” has 245 confirmed cases, and 26 dead. Turkey and Pakistan have closed their borders with Iran as a result. In Japan, the Diamond Princess cruise ship, still under quarantine in the port of Yokohama, has 705 cases aboard; and another 179 cases are reported ashore. Japan announces that all schools should be closed through spring break, which occurs in April. Singapore reports 91 cases, Thailand 40, including an 8-year-old boy, Taiwan 31, and Vietnam 16.