Trump & Coronavirus; A Portrait of Leadership in a Time of Crisis
Jan 20: 3 dead; 200 infected.
Trump Jan 21: It's "totally under control... it's going to be just fine."
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Jan 22: 17 dead, 550 infected.
Jan 24: 26 dead, 830 infected.
World Health Organization Jan 30: Coronavirus is a "global emergency." 170 dead. 7,711 infected.
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Jan 31: New infections confirmed in 4 additional countries.
Trump Jan 31: "Working closely with China and others on Coronavirus outbreak. Only 5 people in U.S., all in good recovery."
Feb 1: New infections confirmed in eight additional countries. 259 dead, 11,791 infected.
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Feb 8: First U.S. citizen death, in Wuhan China. 722 dead. 34,546 infected.
Feb 9: Chinese death toll surpasses 2003 SARS epidemic.
Trump Feb 10: "A lot of people think that goes away in April, as the heat comes in."
Feb 18: 1,900 dead, 73,000 infected.
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Feb 22: Coronavirus deaths have now been reported in China, The Phillipines, Hong Kong, Japan, France, Taiwan, Iran, South Korea and Italy.
Feb 24: CDC reports 50 total U.S. infections.
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Trump Feb 24: "The Coronavirus is very much under control in the USA... CDC and World Health have been working hard and very smart. Stock Market starting to look very good to me!"
Feb 24: Dow drops 1,031.61 points.
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Feb 25: Trump appointee, Director of the U.S. National Economic Council Larry Kudlow tells CNBC "We have contained this, we have contained this, I won't say airtight, but pretty close to airtight."
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Trump Feb 25: "I think that whole situation is working out. We're very close to a vaccine."
CDC Feb 25: "Ultimately, we expect we will see community spread in this country." "Current global circumstances suggest it's likely this virus will cause a pandemic."
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Feb 25: White House requests $2.5 billion from Congress to combat Coronavirus.
Feb 25: Trump appointee, DHS Secretary (acting) Chad Wolf testifies to Congress that a vaccine will be available within "several months."
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Feb 25: Trump appointee, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, on Trump and Wolf's assertion that we will have a vaccine in "several months,":
"That's never happened in human history."
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Feb 25: 2,712 deaths; 80,427 infections; 41 countries. Dow drops another 879.44 points, posting worst two-day loss in history.
When you use a loaded weapon to intimidate, you are the threat.
Liberty comes with responsibility.
Those who fail to recognize that, who abuse their freedom to frighten and demand to be recognized through force and fear rather than reason and persuasion...
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...are more responsible for advancing the suppression of liberty than any activist or politician.
A responsible gun owner who uses a weapon to protect others and save lives is to be celebrated for their bravery and instinct.
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Lives saved by those who recognize the gravity and responsibility attached to their freedom are the single greatest argument in defense of gun rights.
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There has now been a recession in the first term of every single Republican president for the past 111 years.
In the past 73 years, there have been 11 "official" recessions, including 49 recessionary quarters.
41 of those quarters occurred under Republican presidents.
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This year, the cumulative budget deficit since Trump took office is expected to surpass $5 trillion. Greater than any 4 year period in U.S. history.
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Almost half of the benefits of Trump's tax cuts and programs have gone to the wealthiest 5%, while the number of corporations paying $0 in taxes has doubled.
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It's a refrain I hear often & attempt to debunk regularly.
CNN's Kaitlyn Collins was assigned to the front row in yesterday's W. H. Press Briefing. She regularly embarrasses Trump. Usually by just asking him about things he's said.
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Trump did not want CNN in the front row. He tried to have Mrs. Collins moved to the back. She asks tough questions & likely had a few lined up about injecting bleach.
Due to the rules inside the WH Press Room, the WH doesn't control what press is present or where they sit.
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Both Collins and the reporter who was told by the WH to switch seats refused to do so.
At this point, based on multiple reports, the Secret Service was invoked to attempt to get Mrs. Collins to move to the back.
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The only thing more amazing than how often Larry Kudlow's predictions are dead wrong is that he keeps making them.
March 1993: Clinton's taxes will ruin the economy. (90's economic boom)
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February 2000: Things will pick up again. Not even Greenspan can stop this internet economy. (Internet bubble burst)
June 2002: War will elevate the stock market by 2000 points. (Down 1000 over next year)
December 2007: There's no recession coming. (There was)
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April 2008: Recessions are therapeutic. There's no credit crunch. It's very good. (It wasn't)
July 2008: The housing market is healthier than ever. (Nope. Collapsed within weeks)
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368 male Covid-19 patients were included in a nationwide study by the VA.
97 received Hydroxychloroquine.
113 received Hydroxychloroquine and Azithromycin.
158 received neither.
How many died?
Neither drug: 11.4%
Both drugs: 22%
Hydroxychloroquine only: 27%
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So the mortality rate among those taking the drugs that Trump has repeatedly recommended, and that Fox News and GOP pundits and Twitter idols have touted endlessly, is about double the mortality rate without them.
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At Trump's direction, U.S. government agencies have now purchased at least 30 million doses of a drug that doubles your chance of death. Using your tax dollars.
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I'm seeing a lot of casual jokes about people dying. You've seen them. The morbid one-liners, the R vs. D prediction commentaries and link shares, the strangers' obituaries as a political bullet point.
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It's so easy to share these. I don't doubt I've posted some frustrated comment or stupid joke that meets this exact criteria.
Usually, it's unnamed people in general, on the opposite side of the political spectrum, dying in these snapshots.
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Sometimes it's a real person we've never heard of, with a family, friends, and neighbors, and a sudden afterlife legacy of being the 'proof of concept' the "other side" passes around like a trophy.
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