Thread by @RexHuppke

1/ Buckle up, this is a #coronapocalypse threat and it might take a while.

My email inbox this morning is filled with hate mail from Trump supporters angry that I lampooned their hero's handling of the COVID-19 outbreak. Technically, that's not surprising. But...

2/ ...the brunt of the comments are a regurgitation of Trump-world talking points, roughly covering three areas:

1) China "sent us" the virus
2) The utterly false claim that the Obama administration similarly bungled the H1N1 outbreak
3) The media are overhyping/it's no biggie

3/ Here are some examples:

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7/ Those of us who have long recognized Trump's complete incompetence might think that this, a virus that is not just killing people and changing everyday life but also tanking the stock market, might be the one thing resistant to his ability to lie and deflect blame.

8/ We would be wrong. His Fox-News-supported B.S. is already taking hold, and it's only a matter of time before a full conspiratorial narrative takes shape and provides cover for him. No matter how bad this gets, it won't matter.

9/ This is not "the one thing he finally can't lie his way out of." I raise all this to show, once again, how Trumpism is closer to a cult than a political movement. It is wholly resistant to facts and ever-thirsty for lies and disinformation that confirms biases.

10/ So your mom or dad, your uncle or aunt or nana or gramp-gramps, ain't comin' back. The idea that any of these people will see the light was lost long ago, and the moment we're in right now should convince any doubters that that's the truth. They're gone.

11/ And that, my friends, is why those of us who recoil at the cruelty and chaos of the Trump administration need to stand united and not ever - never once, not even for a moment - think, "No way this dude gets re-elected."

12/ Because the odds are he will. No virus, no massive changes in the way we live our lives, no market crash or illnesses or body count is going to change the minds of those who believe in him.

13/ We have to stand together. What you're seeing right now - the ham-handed handling of a deadly public health crisis - is why all of this matters.

Trust the facts, trust science. Don't waste your time fighting lost souls.

Vote.

And remember: Cults fade. Truth carries on. END

p.s. Just realized I used the word "threat" instead of "thread" in the first tweet in this thread and that's probably a sign or something, but either way, I'll spend the rest of the day in my shame circle.