President Donald Trump really loves dictatorial trappings, how doesn’t he? He’s again begun talking up the grand economic recovery that’s supposedly right around the corner following the economic upheaval that the U.S. has faced while trying to stem the spread of the Coronavirus. Even as the death toll climbs and climbs, Trump has even “suggested a “big celebration” when the crisis is over,” CNN reports, and it’s not like he’s trying to have any focus on the lives lost — on Twitter this Wednesday, he explicitly admonished observers to “forget” those who have died in favor of focusing on the economic growth.
Can we call Trumpism a death cult yet? CNN adds that after his “big celebration” proposal, “officials have even begun mulling the type of event Trump may want to mark the day when nationwide restrictions are lifted.” To be clear, the “nationwide restrictions” simply constitute guidelines — across the country, most of the actual in-force demands for people to stay home are the work of governors. At this point, the vast majority of U.S. governors have issued some kind of stay-at-home order for their citizens.
Still, whatever federal guidelines from the Trump administration happen to be in place could be used as a cover for Republican-leaning states for their own policies. And Trump has made his own priorities abundantly clear — those priorities are definitely not with those who’ve been sickened and died amidst the Coronavirus spread.
On Wednesday morning, he tweeted:
‘Once we OPEN UP OUR GREAT COUNTRY, and it will be sooner rather than later, the horror of the Invisible Enemy, except for those that sadly lost a family member or friend, must be quickly forgotten. Our Economy will BOOM, perhaps like never before!!!’
Once we OPEN UP OUR GREAT COUNTRY, and it will be sooner rather than later, the horror of the Invisible Enemy, except for those that sadly lost a family member or friend, must be quickly forgotten. Our Economy will BOOM, perhaps like never before!!!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 8, 2020
So here’s the president of the United States insisting that almost 15,000 dead Americans and counting “must be quickly forgotten.” Imagine if George W. Bush had said that the casualties of 9/11 must be “quickly forgotten.” Imagine if Franklin Roosevelt had said that the casualties of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor must be “quickly forgotten.” Trump’s brazen self-serving is on clear display for all the world to see.
On Tuesday night, Trump told Fox News’s Sean Hannity:
‘We’re looking at the concept where we open sections of the country and we’re also looking at the concept where you open up everything. I’d love to open with a big bang, one beautiful country, and just open. It’s very possible.’
The main thing of importance here is not an economic “big bang” for the country. Actually, the main issues are those like the still behind schedule testing that Trump has failed to take seriously to the point of fixing the shortages that have cropped up around the country.
Getting testing actually up to par would be one of the necessary steps before actually reopening the country, as Trump has been after. Although Trump has been angling for a reopening within weeks, there’s also a need for an at least two week reduction in new cases, which hasn’t happened yet.
