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1. OK, it's been a couple weeks since my last Trump thread. Time to down some Pepto Bismol & jump back in.
First: the US intelligence services that Trump alternately insults & ignores warned of Covid-19 back in *November*. https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/intelligence-report-warned-coronavirus-crisis-early-november-sources/story?id=70031273
First: the US intelligence services that Trump alternately insults & ignores warned of Covid-19 back in *November*. https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/intelligence-report-warned-coronavirus-crisis-early-november-sources/story?id=70031273
2. Even after the administration knew about the virus, it wasted months before acting, primarily because Trump is a malignant narcissist who views the world entirely through the lens of his own ego. He didn't want the virus, so he tried to wish it away. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/11/us/politics/coronavirus-trump-response.html
3. Now, thanks to Trump's failure when it most mattered, Covid-19 has become the leading cause of death in the US, and the US has the highest virus death toll of any country in the world. https://www.newsweek.com/coronavirus-becomes-number-one-cause-death-per-day-us-surpassing-heart-disease-cancer-1495607
4. When the administration finally did make a virus plan, it wasn't about keeping people safe, it was about diverting blame & accountability. Above all, it meant shunting responsibility for fighting the virus onto states. https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/04/10/contact-tracing-coronavirus-strategy/
5. Even as he is blaming states for inadequate response to the virus, Trump is seizing Covid-19 medical supplies from states and adding them to the federal stockpile. https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2020-04-07/hospitals-washington-seize-coronavirus-supplies
6. Trump is passing out the supplies (some of which he seized from needy states) as a form of patronage, favoring states where Republicans face tough political races. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-coronavirus-pandemic-patron-cares-act-supplies/2020/04/10/c961a192-7aad-11ea-b6ff-597f170df8f8_story.html
7. Speaking of patronage, the formula whereby the feds divided up supplies has given $300,000 worth to Nebraska and $12,000 worth to New York. https://www.thedailybeast.com/nebraska-getting-dollar300000-in-federal-money-for-each-coronavirus-case-while-ny-gets-dollar12g
8. Speaking of blame, Trump claims the strategic national stockpile of emergency medical equipment was "empty" when he inherited it. It's an obvious, demonstrable lie. https://www.factcheck.org/2020/04/trump-falsely-claims-he-inherited-empty-stockpile/
9. Trump has repeatedly promised that all Americans would have access to testing for Covid-19. Now, amidst a national shortage, he is ending federal support for testing. https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/09/politics/community-based-coronavirus-testing/index.html
10. Trump has furious rolled back air-quality rules since he came in office. He's doing even more of it in response to the virus. Now a new study confirms that air pollution increases the virus death toll. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/07/climate/air-pollution-coronavirus-covid.html?smid=fb-share
11. The small-business relief fund that Trump & Republicans have touted over & over again is totally dysfunctional, crashing, inaccessible, and less generous than advertised. https://www.politico.com/news/2020/04/06/small-business-loan-program-system-crashes-169614
12. Congress created an oversight panel to manage the $2 trillion in virus relief funds, headed by a respected Pentagon IG. Trump replaced him with a loyalist toady (who is simultaneously responsible for oversight of EPA); he wants more patronage money. https://www.politico.com/news/2020/04/07/trump-removes-independent-watchdog-for-coronavirus-funds-upending-oversight-panel-171943
13. Having delayed a virus response, wasted crucial months, filled the air with dangerous misinformation, dodged responsibility at every turn, and corrupted relief efforts, Trump has ... praised his own virus response 116 times. He gives it a 10 out of 10. https://www.mediaite.com/trump/you-should-be-saying-congratulations-here-are-116-times-trump-has-praised-his-own-coronavirus-response/
14. Oh, forgot to include the fact that Trump has recently told a series of demonstrable falsehoods about voting by mail -- part of a crude effort to prevent Dem constituencies from voting in November. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/04/09/trump-once-again-misleads-with-bogus-claims-voter-fraud/?wpisrc=nl_politics
