Don't believe the spin: Trump's return to daily briefings was a disaster
And it will only get worse. How on earth could anyone in media claim he'd "shifted" his "tone"?
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The White House heralded President Donald Trump’s return to daily White House coronavirus briefings as a new shift in his handling of the pandemic.
Of course, we all knew what it really was, because both Kellyanne Conway (last week) and Trump (a few days after Conway) told us: An effort, desperate as it may be, to get Trump’s numbers up. "We had a good slot. A lot of people were watching. We had record numbers watching,” Trump said a few days ago in announcing a return to the virus briefings.
Think about it: These people were brazenly honest with Americans about the fact that the president’s return to daily briefings was not really about trying to stem a horrific health crisis but about helping his dismal poll numbers as he craters in match-ups against Joe Biden.
Some in the media fell for it, with ABC News sending out this tweet before yesterday’s return to the briefings.
As it turned out, we soon learned that neither Dr. Anthony Fauci, Dr. Deborah Birx, nor any other doctor, scientist or health official, nor any other members of the conronavirus task force, would be there.
It was just The Trump Show.
For about a minute he actually stuck to the talking the points given to him by those in the White House, in one of those rare moments of Donald Trump telling the truth: “It will probably, unfortunately, get worse before it gets better.”
But then he had to add: “Something I don’t like saying about things, but that’s the way it is.”
That was the hint that he’d soon begin spinning, that he couldn’t help but lie, that he has an addiction to distorting facts, and that he only wants to give positive news in the way all con men do who are trying to snooker people.
From there it was all promises of vaccines and treatments and how great things are going to be, and self-congratulations on what he’s done to date: “We are in the process of developing a strategy that’s going to be very, very powerful.”
It was appallingly insulting. And even worse, some in the media, once again, called it a “somber” new “shift” in “tone.” This Daily Show compilation truly is mind-boggling.
Yet, Trump refused to acknowledge his failures, and once again repeatedly referred to Covid-19 as the “China virus,” unable to contain his racism. He blamed everything and everyone else — including China, which “let it out” — but himself for the testing failures as he attempts now to change the subject and do whatever he can to subvert the nation’s top scientist, Dr. Anthony Fauci, for being honest.
We didn’t need Trump to tell us it is “going to get worse.” We know how much worse it is, and how much worse it will be. Trump continued to try to float the idea — as he did in his equally disastrous interview with Fox News’ Chris Wallace on Sunday — that the pandemic would “disappear,” eventually: “The virus will disappear — it will disappear.”
Then he veered into the typical, hideous and bizarre Trumpian statements. He responded to a question about Ghislaine Maxwell, accused of helping Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse underage women, by saying, “ I’ve met her numerous times over the years, especially since I lived in Palm Beach,” and, “I wish her well, frankly.”
Wishing well an accused child molester while trying to calm the country about a ferocious pandemic which he mismanaged and while Americans are dying? Really?
Trump finally did say people should “wear a mask” and that masks “do have impact.” But the fact that he’d spent months mocking masks, has refused to wear one except for a couple of times and was maskless and up close with his buddies at his DC hotel the other night, made this call completely hollow.
Any reporter who thought this was a new “tone” was trying to score points and retain access in an administration that is a train wreck. Perhaps the fact that, for the first time, this take wasn’t even remotely universal among the press, is a sign that even many in the media know Trump may be heading to an end.
In the meantime, we’ll have to put up with more of these self-absorbed, dangerous briefings, and, more importantly, vigilantly pay attention to all the other reckless and unconstitutional things Trump is doing as he tries to cling to power.
Why is our government enabling this narcissistic sociopath and allowing him to continue? Because there is an established protocol for how a President is treated? It’s mind-boggling. The US has become a laughing-stock to the world, innocent people are dying and our government is just enabling every stupid thing he does.
Our government has invaded other countries, arranged for the removal of dangerous leaders in other countries, inserted itself into the policies and politics of other countries and yet have allowed a man well-known for being a failure at everything he has ever done to not only continue as “leader” of the US but still plenty of people support his re-election?
What is going on? As a collective, we keep blaming Trump. But the blame really falls on every single person in DC who is allowing this man to continue destroying the country and the mainstream media who continue to prop him up and act like they are so surprised by every idiotic thing he does. Really, 4 years and still shocked? C’mon!
It’s like pouring gasoline on a fire, wondering why the fire isn’t going out but spreading and having the fire department with their hoses ready just standing there watching the fire rage out of control.
The show was so on point yesterday re: above new tone-media BS. You connected so many dots and explained so well this repeated SICK pattern between the press and this sick mental case monster president. And that really is “in the end” what it’s all about. Somehow a sociopath made it all the way to the top of the America food chain and is eating us alive using our own institutions by exploiting their weaknesses. Not for some big plot and grand evil plan but just simple cancer capitalist greed and self (at all cost) preservation. All while the perfectly positioned vultures around him swallow up and exploit every last bit left in his wake. The sociopathic mobster monster is and only is in this for self preservation & to keep the fantasy and his addiction to it going at all cost. The fact we allow the “media” to not call this for what it is makes me furious and exposed sadly how the “free” press ain’t really free. The only language their corporate owners understand is $$$. So boycott is once again in order America. THEY are not media as was envisioned by our founders as a check on power. OR ELSE they would have called this out for what it was long before it became our country’s horrible reality. CRIMINAL INSANITY!!!