On a long list of terrible decisions made by the Trump administration, two more have been added in recent days: the decision to allow Donald Trump to speak to Bob Woodward and the decision to allow him to sit for a town hall debate considering the current state of the country. And yet, Trump appeared at a town hall on ABC News with George Stephanopoulos and answered questions from undecided voters.
The first question in tonight's @abc2020 town hall comes from a 2016 Trump voter who's diabetic: "I thought you were doing a good job with the pandemic response…then you took your foot off the gas pedal. Why did you throw vulnerable people like me under the bus?" pic.twitter.com/iGEyqMFsNv
— ABC News (@ABC) September 16, 2020
The first question of the night was from a man who identified himself as conservative and pro-life, as well as being a diabetic in New York City, one of the first major hotspots for COVID-19. He told Trump that he had to dodge people every day who won’t socially distance or wear a mask, two measures Donald Trump refused to advise until well after experts had recommended them. Addressing the president, the man said:
‘I thought you were doing a good job with the pandemic response…then you took your foot off the gas pedal. Why did you throw vulnerable people like me under the bus?’
Trump blamed China, pointed to his travel ban, said that the Obama administration would have never been able to get a vaccine rushed as quickly as he is sure to do, and completely avoided the question. It set a trend for the rest of his town hall answers.
Trump is asked why he downplayed the Covid threat:
Trump: I didn’t downplay it. I actually in many ways up-played it, in terms of action.
Woman: Didn’t you admit it yourself?
When he keeps lying, she shakes her head and sits down. #TrumpTownHall pic.twitter.com/ZqnYGvg2tv
— Amee Vanderpool (@girlsreallyrule) September 16, 2020
Another attendee asked Trump why he chose to downplay the threat of COVID-19 instead of leveling with the American people, which he still hasn’t done even with 200,000 American lives lost. Trump said he never downplayed it, that he took quick and decisive action in implementing the China ban, and ignored her when she told him he had admitted on tape that he had downplayed the virus and still is.
In a special @ABC2020, an uncommitted voter presses Pres. Trump on how his slogan "Make America Great Again" relates to Black Americans, "because that pushes us back to a time in which we cannot identify with such greatness."
Watch @ABC News' town hall tonight at 9|8c. pic.twitter.com/b7bABJTPj4
— ABC News (@ABC) September 16, 2020
One of the most powerful questions of the night came from a black American who asked Trump about his “make America great again” slogan, wondering what period of time Trump thought was “great” considering the country’s history of inequality for people of color. Trump pushed the African American employment rate (which is at its lowest in years at the moment) and said that, before the virus, even Democrats were calling him to say that all his efforts were working for black Americans.
Asked if he could at least agree that there is a race problem in America, Trump said “I hope there’s not a race problem. There certainly isn’t with me,” thus once again ignoring the question entirely.
Wait, is Joe Biden President already? DID I MISS THE ELECTION???#TrumpTownHall https://t.co/2OUaMoZ0yf
— Red (@Redpainter1) September 16, 2020
Trump answered questions about his challenger’s criticism of the White House administration’s response to the coronavirus, Trump lobbed the accusation back saying that Biden never implemented a mask mandate, either.
Joe Biden is not currently the president and there was no coronavirus when he served in any political office.
Trump just said the virus will go away because of "herd mentality."#TrumpTownHall pic.twitter.com/HZ7nxoP65S
— Steven Lerner (@Steven_Lerner) September 16, 2020
Featured image screenshot via YouTube
