This week, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited Copenhagen, Denmark, for diplomatic meetings with leaders from the country. Washington Post reporter John Hudson has revealed that while in the country, Danish leaders actually refused to shake Pompeo’s hand. Denmark, like many areas across Europe, has largely gotten the Coronavirus under control within its borders. The United States has done no such thing, no matter the delusional self-congratulations for a supposed job well done from President Trump.
Hudson reports the following, referencing officials from the central Danish government and the leadership of two Danish territories, including the Faroe Islands and Greenland:
‘In Denmark (which does not have a corona outbreak) Pompeo went to shake hands w/ the Danish Foreign Minister, who didn’t offer his hand back. Pompeo extended his hand to the Faroese FM who also would not shake hands. Pompeo then elbow bumped with the Greenlandic FM.’
In Denmark (which does not have a corona outbreak) Pompeo went to shake hands w/ the Danish Foreign Minister, who didn't offer his hand back. Pompeo extended his hand to the Faroese FM who also would not shake hands. Pompeo then elbow bumped with the Greenlandic FM. pic.twitter.com/LC963np0dV
— John Hudson (@John_Hudson) July 22, 2020
As of Wednesday, over the last seven days, Denmark has added an average of 35 newly confirmed Coronavirus cases a day, according to Worldometer. Their daily average for new deaths across the same period is zero — as of early Wednesday in the U.S., the last time that Denmark reported a Coronavirus death was the preceding Friday, when one fatality was reported. These numbers, of course, are all in stark contrast to those found in the United States. On Wednesday, the country had added an average of over 68,000 newly confirmed cases a day over the preceding seven days, according to Worldometer. Over the same period, the U.S. suffered an average of 829 newly reported deaths per day. On Tuesday, the U.S. reported over 1,000 deaths; according to Worldometer data, it was the highest single-day count of newly reported Coronavirus deaths in the U.S. since early June.
As reporter John Hudson noted, Pompeo’s diplomatic trip to Denmark came amidst new developments in the long-running diplomatic stand-off between the U.S. and China. Citing concerns about “intellectual property” without many further details, the U.S. State Department recently ordered the immediate closure of the Chinese Consulate in Houston. That comes on the heels of the president and some of his allies trying to essentially pin blame for the Coronavirus pandemic on China, although some introductions of the virus to the U.S. did not even come from China, but rather from Europe.
