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With no rallies to attend thanks to his bang-up job protecting the nation from the COVID-19 pandemic, Donald Trump has been forced to channel all his copious B.S. into the newly resurrected coronavirus pandemic response team briefings…minus the actual medical and scientific experts whom people might actually want to hear from.
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After managing to skate his way fairly unscathed through the first briefing yesterday by mostly sticking to his prepared remarks — until a reporter asked him about jailed sex trafficking suspect Ghislaine Maxwell, whom he inexplicably wished well — Trump began his briefing today with some immediate gaslighting about the causes of the persistent rise in pandemic statistics in America.
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TRUMP: "That would be great if we can go into the hospital and just cure people were and we are at a position where we are actually able, to a certain extent, with what we have right now and we think in a very short period of time we will be able to do that." pic.twitter.com/m9eYkSy5F2
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 22, 2020
Would you buy a used car from this man? Or even a used bus pass?
Trying to parcel out the blame to everyone — BLM protestors, Mexico, Democrats, etc. — but himself for the massive failure that has been this nation’s uncoordinated and sloppy response to the COVID-19 outbreak, Trump embarrasses himself with his “the buck stops somewhere over there” ethos.
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The stench of ignorance, self-serving manipulation, and malevolent intent wafts from his body even over the internet-fed video stream.
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With no scientific experts there to contradict him, Trump was free to say whatever he wanted about the pandemic without fear of contradiction. When asked why Dr. Fauci, Dr. Birx or the nation’s other leading medical advisors were not at the briefing, Trump responded with an answer that anyone who has ever played a game of “Telephone” knows is sure to lead to disastrous miscommunications.
Asked why the health experts are no longer speaking at these briefings with him, Trump says, "They are briefing me…they are giving me all — everything they know…and I'm giving the information to you."
— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) July 22, 2020
Since it doesn’t take very long to sling his sanitized propaganda and name his blame targets, the questions from reporters came earlier than usual at these events than in the past.
Not unexpectedly, questions about his plans to send armed and incognito federal troops (or “law enforcement agents,” as he euphemizes the camouflaged Gestapo with automatic weapons) to Chicago — a scheme that was announced earlier in the day — were quick to be slung his way.
Trump on risk of kids transmitting coronavirus to parents and grandparents after contracting it in schools: "A lot of people are saying they don't transmit." (This is false.) pic.twitter.com/ElaNNOR1od
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 22, 2020
I don’t know about you, but I prefer to get my medical risk assessments from a more reliable source than what a president —whose own staff thinks he’s a moron, an idiot, or a dope, depending on which one you ask — tells me “a lot of people are saying,” which is typical Trump-speak for “I’m making shit up on the spot because I don’t really know what I’m talking about.”
Despite supposedly being a coronavirus task force briefing, Trump’s illegal military campaign against America’s own citizens kept coming up repeated;y in the White House correspondents’ questions.
.@kaitlancollins: In 2016, you said it was Obama's fault crime was up in Chicago. So why was it Obama's fault then & not your fault now?
TRUMP: Chicago is a disaster
COLLINS: But why was it Obama's fault?
TRUMP: Because Obama did a poor job. He could've solved the problem. pic.twitter.com/5mAMgZO4QV
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 22, 2020
No one has ever won a logic-based argument with Donald Trump since it’s a language that is as unfamiliar to him as an obscure Mongolian dialect.
While no journalist has yet to manage to ask the president a single question recently about why he has never responded to Russian bounties placed on American soldiers’ heads in Afghanistan, several other of his recent scandals did manage to be brought up by reporters eager to hear Trump squirm his way out of his latest outrages.
Trump ends the news conference and walks away while ignoring a question asking him to clarify why he extended well wishes to accused sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell pic.twitter.com/RmGPD0cDV6
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 22, 2020
Funny how only Trump can use a racist phrase like “China virus” while trying to defend himself from charges of racism leveled against him by his Democratic opponent and comparing himself favorably with Abraham Lincoln.
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Trump’s hasty retreat before he dug himself into a deeper hole prevented us from getting the answer to the request for clarification of his fond well wishes to Ghislaine Maxwell, but with Trump likely to continue holding these press briefings every day until it’s safe to assemble large groups of his misguided band of low information voters, we’ll probably get another chance to ask tomorrow.
At least we have another day’s worth of lies and misinformation to tide us over until he’s banished from the White House.
Follow Vinnie Longobardo on Twitter.
Original reporting by Aaron Rupar at Vox and by Daniel Dale at CNN.
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