7/19/20: In an interview with Chris Wallace today, President Trump insisted that he was “a believer in masks,” but wanted “people to have a certain freedom.”
What? To cough snot on one another?
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“His failure to understand this simple public health measure, his reluctance to accept the advice of all his public health experts, makes me wonder whether he really is qualified to manage this.”
Dr. Jonathan Reiner
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He said he wasn’t convinced masks did all that much good in the fight against the virus. Trump went on to cite Dr. Anthony Fauci, who said, back on February 29, that Americans didn’t need masks.
It was as if, the President of the United States had learned nothing since that moment.
(Probably
because he hasn’t.)
On that final day in February, the U.S. had just reported its first death from the coronavirus. Dr. Fauci was worried because ordinary citizens might hoard masks that could be needed for healthcare workers. So, he did say, at the time, that ordinary citizens didn’t need masks. He has long since changed his position.
After watching a clip of Trump’s interview with Wallace, Dr. Jonathan Reiner told CNN that there was “no downside” to wearing masks. If all of us did, we would have a much better chance of reopening schools safely. We could revive a stalled economy and even save fall sports, like NFL football. “He’s unteachable,” Dr. Reiner grimaced, when asked about Trump,
and I can’t understand it. His
failure to understand this simple public health measure, his reluctance to
accept the advice of all his public health experts, makes me wonder whether he
really is qualified to manage this [emphasis added]. This is not a
sophisticated question where experts differ.
Dr. Reiner said Trump’s failure in regard to such a simple
matter “raises serious doubts about his competence.”
*
WE DO HAVE some evidence that the U.S. economy may be stabilizing and may recover. I don’t like this president any more than I like stewed beets. But I hope I’m wrong because I can’t see it.
New data indicates that at least four million Americans who have kept their jobs during the pandemic agreed to pay cuts. Some experts believe the figure may be closer to seven million. An additional ten million have seen hours reduced. Buying power for roughly 1 in every 8 employed persons has been curtailed, which would represent a serious drag on any economic rebound.
Jamie Vagedes, an accountant for a travel rewards company, is typical. He took a 20% cut in April. That pay reduction could last for another six months if more Americans don’t start traveling. He was luckier than many co-workers. A quarter of his peers were laid off or furloughed. Fortunately, under the CARES Act, Vagedes was able to delay mortgage payments. Eventually, however, he’ll have to come up with the difference. “Doing everything on 20 percent less – it’s challenging,” he told a reporter. “It’s a real kick in the shins.”
If the president still isn’t sure masks do any good, and if
he still believes the Bill of Rights grants Americans freedom to sneeze on
innocent bystanders, multiple major retailers are instituting mask requirements.
Starting Monday, Walmart will require customers at its 5,000 stores to don
masks. Walmart joins Apple, Best Buy, Costco, CVS Pharmacy, Kroger, Starbucks,
and Target, among others. It will be a sad day, then, for the unmasked man who
recently pulled a gun and threatened to kill a masked customer who
criticized him in a Florida Walmart.
*
NEW CASES of coronavirus, July 19:
63,201.
*
A campaign ad for Biden.
TO SAY that Mr. Trump’s interview with Chris Wallace did not go well would be an understatement. Critics described the president’s performance as “wild,” “shocking,” and an “unmitigated disaster.” Anthony Scaramucci, his former communications director, said the interview was so bad, it could have been a “campaign ad” for Biden. A reviewer for the Washington Post said Wallace reduced the president to “a sputtering, sweating mess.” (It was held outside on a White House terrace, and Trump was visibly dripping sweat, in a coat and tie).
A journalism professor told ABC it was like watching a well-prepared prosecutor cross-examine a guilty witness. Megan McCain said, “it was the first time I’ve really seen President Trump squirm.” Under Wallace’s grilling, a reporter for The Hill said Trump looked “flustered, confused, angry, baffled and unable to substantiate any one of his standard big lies.”
If you didn’t watch, and you had any doubt about how it went, you knew Wallace had revealed the emperor in all his nakedness. On Twitter, Trump fans were furious. Someone called “Catturd” posted: “Retweet if think Chris Wallace belongs on Fake News CNN – and you’re sick and damn tired of hearing his lying mouth on Fox News.”
Rob G., another fan of the president, and a true patriot (I
guess) by virtue of his six flag emojis, had this to say:
POSTSCRIPT: Trump spent the next few days trying to spin the interview as if he gave an Oscar-winning performance.
The comics disagreed. Here was
Trevor Noah’s take:
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