Thursday, February 27, 2020


Trump said coronavirus won’t spread — his scientists said the opposite right in front of him: Congresswoman

Published February 26, 2020 By Sarah K. Burris

Rep. Donna Shalala (D-FL) blasted President Donald Trump after his press conference Wednesday because he contradicted his own scientists on the coronavirus.

During an MSNBC discussion after the Q&A, the Congresswoman explained that it only confuses Americans more.

“He’s not doing very well on the coronavirus,” she said. “Because the test of leadership is not talking about something you know very little about and he just confused the American people about whether this virus is going to spread. All the scientists said it is going to spread and the president gave the opposite impression. And presidents have to know that when they’re in a situation like this with complicated science, they put the scientists, physicians in front of them, preferably, by the way, in white coats, and let them reassure the American people.”

She said that the last thing the country needs is uncertainty about a health crisis.

It was something that didn’t go unnoticed by MSNBC’s Chris Jansing either.

Press conference in brief
Expert: Spread of coronavirus inevitable
Trump: I don't think it's inevitable
Expert: Vaccine a year to 18 months away
Trump: We'll have a vaccine in fairly quick manner
Trump: We have to be on the same team
Trump: Nancy Pelosi is incompetent
— Chris Jansing (@ChrisJansing) February 27, 2020


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‘He has no clue’: Internet slams Trump’s ‘breathtaking’ incoherence at coronavirus press conference

February 26, 2020 By Matthew Chapman

On Wednesday, President Donald Trump gave a barely intelligible press conference on the coronavirus outbreak, during which he claimed he saved America by shutting down flights, appointed Vice President Mike Pence to lead a coronavirus task force despite having few qualifications to do so, suggesting his public health budget cuts are no big deal because he can just hire more doctors later, and insisting that it was Democrats, rather than the epidemic, that tanked the stock market this week.

Commenters on social media laid into the president for his performance, blasting his lack of leadership and credibility:

Trump is describing a conversation he had now where he said “is the coronavirus just the flu?”
*BANGS HEAD ON TABLE*
— Elizabeth C. McLaughlin (@ECMcLaughlin) February 27, 2020


He’s back to marveling about the flu. HE IS ACTIVELY STUPID.
— Jason Karsh (@jkarsh) February 27, 2020

That answer from Trump on budget cuts may just be about the most absurd thing I’ve ever heard. They can hire doctors quickly if they need them? He has no clue how biomedical research works. None
— Sam Stein (@samstein) February 27, 2020

I was going to post a quote from Being There to make a point about this nutty press conference, but then I realized people would almost surely think I was quoting Trump.
— Walter Shaub (@waltshaub) February 27, 2020

Ah, good, the guy whose policies as governor sparked an HIV outbreak in Indiana is on the case. Fantastic.
— Kevin M. Kruse (@KevinMKruse) February 26, 2020

So the dude whose regressive policies lead to an HIV outbreak in Indiana is in charge of the coronavirus?
Why not just inject me with it right now.
— Imani Gandy (@AngryBlackLady) February 27, 2020

Putting Mike Pence in charge of combating the corona virus is like putting Trump in charge of a teenage beauty pageant — everything we know of their history shows this is a terrible idea.
— Charlotte Clymer ️‍ (@cmclymer) February 27, 2020

This has evolved into another Trump rally.
— Kim Franklin-Magana (@InspiringU2) February 27, 2020

The deputy director of the CDC, a 30-year career official, is standing stoic, staring straight ahead, as Trump’s coronavirus news conference becomes about… other things.
— Josh Dawsey (@jdawsey1) February 27, 2020

“This isn’t about political advantage,” the president says, after blaming the stock market tanking on the Democratic debate and attacking Nancy Pelosi.
— Jon Ralston (@RalstonReports) February 27, 2020

Don’t worry, folks, the president of the US knows how to fix this pandemic thing: wash your hands a lot. The president washes his hands A LOT and you should too. Wash, wash, wash. See us wash.
— Charles Johnson (@Green_Footballs) February 27, 2020

the flu epidemic of 1918 killed about 50 million people worldwide, more than 600,000 in the US. Keep that in mind when Trump downplays how bad the flu can be.
— ceut (@ceut) February 27, 2020

Dow futures turned from positive to negative during Trump’s coronavirus news conference
— John Harwood (@JohnJHarwood) February 27, 2020

Trump says “we will essentially have a flu shot for this in a fairly quick manner” . His top infectious diseases expert – standing right next to him – said it will take a year to 18 months. Also, HE said coronavirus is not the flu
— Chris Jansing (@ChrisJansing) February 27, 2020

The level of ignorance, incoherence and incompetence on display at the WH podium right now is breathtaking.
— Michael R. Bromwich (@mrbromwich) February 27, 2020

Press conference in brief
Expert: Spread of coronavirus inevitable
Trump: I don’t think it’s inevitable
Expert: Vaccine a year to 18 months away
Trump: We’ll have a vaccine in fairly quick manner
Trump: We have to be on the same team
Trump: Nancy Pelosi is incompetent
— Chris Jansing (@ChrisJansing) February 27, 2020

Well, that press conference is a total disaster
We need a leader that’s going to address this no matter what the cost
not a business man pinching pennies while he gambles with 100’s of millions of people’s lives.
Fuck that.
— cryborg (@cryborg) February 27, 2020

Epidemics are one reason you want a meritocratic, apolitical civil service staffing your government, instead of a bunch of toadies, quislings and yes men. This applies to other serious crises as well, and the country has been deeply fortunate not to encounter more of them.
— Adam Serwer (@AdamSerwer) February 27, 2020

Trump ‘just wants this problem to go away’: President
desperate to get coronavirus ‘off his plate’

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‘Rather than leading — he lies’: MSNBC panel says Trump is a ‘danger to the country’ because he can’t be trusted 

 February 27, 2020 By Sarah K. Burris

MSNBC commentators, former assistant US Attorney Maya Wiley and Rick Wilson, explained that President Donald Trump's most significant barrier is making it past his own lies to save America from the coronavirus.

"There's a case tonight being tested in Walton County, Florida. The heart of Trump country," said Wilson, referring to the panhandle county east of Pensacola. "That's not going to be something you can just walk away from if it turns out to be a real case. We're seeing these things popping up all over. The safe bet was always to say, 'This could be bad. We'll do everything we can to stop it.' But he can't stop himself from self-aggrandizing and lying about things. And it's actually -- setting aside my normal criticism of Trump -- this is a danger to the country that he is not a trustworthy person for the American people. Even people who like him now he BS's them all the time. Now, if he says it's not a problem and people are being hospitalized, it is a problem."

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Trump ‘just wants this problem to go away’: President desperate to get coronavirus ‘off his plate’

Published February 26, 2020 By Sarah K. Burris

President Donald Trump is desperate for the coronavirus problem to go away, and he doesn't exactly care how it happens.

According to New York Times reporter Annie Karni, sources are telling her that the biggest concern Trump has is more about the markets than the deaths of Americans from the virus.
"First, let's establish, this is a president who tried to change science with a Sharpie when it came to hurricane path prediction," said MSNBC host Brian Williams. "That picture lasts forever."

"Even his allies on Fox and his allies outside the White House were kind of channeling to that proverbial audience of one that this was a great opportunity to look presidential and to tell the facts," said Karni. The Donald Trump we saw out there in the briefing room was very casual, kind of left the facts to the other people that accompanied him out there. But he clearly publicly and privately just wants this problem to go away. He wants to downplay it. He thinks -- he has called people who are talking about fears about it alarmist. He doesn't want to be alarmist, and he's kind of holding on to any comment that makes it sound like this will naturally be a problem that is removed from his plate. That's what we saw publicly, and that's what he's been saying privately as well." 

Seth Meyers: You know Trump isn’t the chief law enforcement officer because he couldn’t pass the physical

February 26, 2020 By Sarah K. Burris

"Late Night" host Seth Meyers warned that the United States is sliding into authoritarianism under President Donald Trump.

Sounding the alarm Wednesday evening, Meyers cited reports that Trump was making lists of disloyal people, purging them from their jobs, hiring unqualified cronies in top posts, and claiming he has the right to interfere in criminal cases.

While speaking to the press last week, Trump even announced that he's allowed to be involved in all criminal cases because he's the chief law enforcement officer of the United States. It's actually a title used for the attorney general 

 Trump frantically attacks media for making coronavirus ‘look as bad as possible’ in panicky tweet
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