This piece is an amazing portrait in miniature of the disastrous Trump presidency. Perhaps the most telling quote of all is Trump's comment, "I'm just here to present talent," as if his presidency is just another season of THE APPRENTICE./1
washingtonpost.com/politics/trump…
washingtonpost.com/politics/trump…
The only time the Team Trump acts with purpose and dispatch is when they have to defend his "bogus" claims, in this case, as the headlines has it, the "administration scrambles to stop people from injecting disinfectants." /2
I said that they act with "purpose and dispatch" not with honesty or effectiveness. Indeed, the responses from his aides in this article shows the whole range of predictable responses: blame the media, defend the indefensible, blame the aide./3
First, blame the media:
Press Secretary McEnanany: media is "irresponsible," for taking Trump's comments "out of context."
Judd Deere, White House spokesman: media employs "outlandish headlines."/4
Press Secretary McEnanany: media is "irresponsible," for taking Trump's comments "out of context."
Judd Deere, White House spokesman: media employs "outlandish headlines."/4
Defend the Indefensible:
"Deborah Birx, a physician and the White House coronavirus response coordinator, defended the president’s comments about ingesting disinfectant — not as sarcasm, but as part of a deliberate, if unorthodox, thought process."/5
"Deborah Birx, a physician and the White House coronavirus response coordinator, defended the president’s comments about ingesting disinfectant — not as sarcasm, but as part of a deliberate, if unorthodox, thought process."/5
Blame the aide:
"Some in Trump’s orbit placed blame on Bryan, arguing that he was not up to the task of briefing the president and allowed for Trump to get confused or to conflate the study’s findings."/6
"Some in Trump’s orbit placed blame on Bryan, arguing that he was not up to the task of briefing the president and allowed for Trump to get confused or to conflate the study’s findings."/6
Oh, and of course there is the dishing anonymous "senior administration official": “It was not ready at all to go to the president,” the senior official said. “There was no guideline. There was no data. There was nothing.”/7
Gee, I wonder how this "anonymous official" knows that Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, along with Birx, McEnany and "others in the communications and press shops," "were concerned that the Department of Homeland Security study had not been thoroughly vetted."/8
When in doubt, throw the VP under the bus: "Still...Pence & his team wanted Bryan to present the information to the president & to the public....They hoped the study would help encourage people to spend more time outdoors & to disinfect their homes, aides said." /9
So after Trump, who can't be bothered to mobilize the federal government to produce tests, masks or PPE, speculates about a "cure" that could kill, his team blames the media, absolves themselves of responsibility and finds a convenient administrative scapegoat or two. /10
