Apple CEO Tim Cook today announced via Twitter that Apple has now sourced over 20 million N95 face masks to support the global COVID-19 response. Apple will also produce 1 million face shields per week for medical workers, Cook said. Apple’s face shield design can be packed 100 to a box and can be assembled in two minutes, Cook added.
Apple is dedicated to supporting the worldwide response to COVID-19.
We’ve now sourced over 20M masks through our supply chain.
Our design, engineering, operations and packaging teams are also working with suppliers to design, produce and ship face shields for medical workers.
Apple is dedicated to supporting the worldwide response to COVID-19. We’ve now sourced over 20M masks through our supply chain. Our design, engineering, operations and packaging teams are also working with suppliers to design, produce and ship face shields for medical workers. pic.twitter.com/3xRqNgMThX
— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) April 5, 2020
MacDailyNews Take: Thanks, Apple!
It is already April! Cook should have known. He should have had those masks designed, produced and shipped in January! Incompetent!
Since the coronavirus outbreak was well known by the first of January, Cook probably thought that the government had the problem well in hand without the need to rely on private charity to carry out the fundamental government duty, protecting public health and safety.
“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”
Not a word in there about expecting volunteers to perform those responsibilities while the government dawdles.
Really? By the first of January? What was the revered WHO saying in January? “No human to human transmission.” What were the Dems doing in January? What was the press “reporting on” in January?
There were reports in the Western media as early as December 31 that there were “dozens of cases” in Wuhan. While human-to-human transfer had not been confirmed (in public) by then, the number of cases strongly suggested it. If I was aware of that information as a retired lawyer in a small Texas town, it was certainly available to the President of the United States. If the media had not been reporting on it, I could not have known it. I assume the Democrats in Congress also knew it, but it isn’t their job to direct the Executive Branch response to national threats.
There is no indication that the Obama administration took significant steps to replenish the supply of N95 masks in the Strategic National Stockpile after it was depleted from repeated crises. Calls for action came from experts at the time concerned for the country’s ability to respond to future serious pandemics. Such recommendations were, for whatever reason, not heeded.
The Obama administration used up roughly 75 percent of N95 respirators and 25 percent of face masks during the 2009 H1N1 pandemic. The supplies were tapped again during various hurricanes beginning in 2009 as well as the 2014 ebola virus outbreak and the 2016 zika virus event. At no time was the supply replenished. Further, the storage facilities for many of the masks were not maintained properly or inspected, leading to a large number of masks being destroyed by dry rot.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2020/04/03/fact-check-did-obama-administration-deplete-n-95-mask-stockpile/5114319002/
Assuming that to be true, the Trump Administration still had three full years to renew the supplies. Instead, they disbanded the unit at the National Security Council that had been tasked with preparing for epidemic emergencies.
You lie. A lot. Constantly. Is that because your ideas are proven to fail historically and repeatedly? Why are you (and CNN, MSDNC, the NYT, etc.) carrying water for the ChiCom propagandists? All commies have to stick together, I guess. Lies are your glue.
SAD.
No, the White House didn’t ‘dissolve’ its pandemic response office – The Washington Post, March 16, 2020
It has been alleged by multiple officials of the Obama administration, including in The Post, that the president and his then-national security adviser, John Bolton, “dissolved the office” at the White House in charge of pandemic preparedness. Because I led the very directorate assigned that mission, the counterproliferation and biodefense office, for a year and then handed it off to another official who still holds the post, I know the charge is specious.
It is true that the Trump administration has seen fit to shrink the NSC staff. But the bloat that occurred under the previous administration clearly needed a correction. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, congressional oversight committees and members of the Obama administration itself all agreed the NSC was too large and too operationally focused (a departure from its traditional role coordinating executive branch activity). As The Post reported in 2015, from the Clinton administration to the Obama administration’s second term, the NSC’s staff “had quadrupled in size, to nearly 400 people.” That is why Trump began streamlining the NSC staff in 2017.
One such move at the NSC was to create the counterproliferation and biodefense directorate, which was the result of consolidating three directorates into one, given the obvious overlap between arms control and nonproliferation, weapons of mass destruction terrorism, and global health and biodefense. It is this reorganization that critics have misconstrued or intentionally misrepresented. If anything, the combined directorate was stronger because related expertise could be commingled.
You might ask: Why does all this matter? Won’t it just be a historical footnote?
It matters because when people play politics in the middle of a crisis, we are all less safe.
We are less safe because public servants are distracted when they are dragged into politics.
We’re less safe because the American people have been recklessly scared into doubting the competence of their government to help keep them safe, secure and healthy.
And we’re less safe because when we’re focused on political gamesmanship, we’re not paying enough attention to the real issues. For example, we should be united behind ensuring that, in a future congressional appropriations package, U.S. companies are encouraged to return to our shores from China the production of everything from medical face masks and personal protective equipment to vitamin C and penicillin.
And we should be united in demanding to know why the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) was aware of the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan early in December, maybe even November, and didn’t tell the rest of the world, when stopping the deadly spread might have been possible.
Just as the United States has fought against fake information aimed at our elections, we should fight back against CCP propagandists.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/03/16/no-white-house-didnt-dissolve-its-pandemic-response-office/
I call BS by an apparatchik trying to justify a bonehead mistake.
The old directorate had a focus on naturally occurring disease outbreaks, like Ebola and SARS, that threatened national security. The new “consolidated” directorate was directed at the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, including biological weapons. The staff with expertise in pandemic disease were all either laid off or sent to other agencies without a national security mission. Nobody had the responsibility to maintain inventory of critical equipment, and allowed much of what we did have to rot.
First Whatever: your shrill desperation is noted. All you ever do is attack those who choose (wisely) not to worship The Don.
In this case, a classic whatabout, the obvious manoeuvre that weak debaters use when they have already lost. But Obama! But Clinton! But but but! You already lost buddy, just stop.
It’s the current POTUS who attempted to slash the CDC and refused to listen to medical experts until March. At the end of February, he was treating the issue like just another press relations game. No amount of your spin is going to change that. Now instead of the government protecting people, hospitals are relying on corporate charity from non-medical companies to put together a hodgepodge of rush emergency supplies that will arrive at least a month late. All because Don wanted to play it cheap. He’s tried to undermine the proper functioning of any government agency that does important work he doesn’t understand.
We all know that you partisan hacks can always take any person and make them look bad. Last week you bashed the WHO incessantly. This week you’re turning back to Obama. Cluesless, are we? The interesting thing is that the evidence of stupidity of your demigod is MUCH greater, and you refuse to acknowledge any of it. Classic blind sycophants. Whoever pays you for your propaganda isn’t getting a good deal, but they are getting loyal bullsh!t artists with you and your partisan buddies.
Find another site to spread your propaganda, please.
And what would you have Trump do on December 31? Travel ban? (Can’t do that… racist!). Issue stay at home guidelines… in December/ January? How many people would “quit their jobs” and stay home with only zero cases of some foreign disease from the other side of the world? Start procuring masks and other medical equipment and medicines? From where? China?
Ok, ok. Enough about Trump. How about you tell us which world leader(s) responded to this global pandemic to your satisfaction? Of the roughly 180 countries/ regions with cases, which citizens are satisfied with their leaders’ handle on the situation? Who is doing a great job!
Please, enlighten us.
And don’t list:
Taiwan : 1/25 the land area of California plus it is an island
Singapore : tiny population of only 5.6 million
Hong Kong : that is part of China… who knows what is really going on there
Antarctica : an unrealistic comparison to the US
North Korea : Uhhh… no cases there. Unfair comparison
Right. Tell you who succeeded, but don’t list any country that has done better than the US. Sorry, not playing that game.
Right! You got it! You want to compare the US to Singapore? To Taiwan? North Korea? You don’t want to play my game? That’s ok. I can play yours.
Go ahead, tell us which world leaders have executed a successful defense. Who is doing a wonderful job during this once in a century global pandemic?
But, be careful, there is a saying, “the grass is always greener on the other side of the border.”
To repeat, I am not going to play “Whataboutism.” I never claimed that any other country did a better job. That is irrelevant. Whether the Trump Administration has done a decent job isn’t a competition. Their performance should be measured against what they should have done, not by what some other government actually did. By that standard, they fell short in at least two areas:
They do not seem to have taken serious steps until March towards mobilizing human and material resources to meet the well-identified threat; and
The President and his supporters in the government and in the media kept (and keep) minimizing the threat, thus encouraging the populace to ignore the competing calls for social distancing.
That happened, and should not have, no matter what other countries did.
Here’s a proposal: As soon as the WHO identifies a new virus that is killing people and has Wuhan locked down, a competent executive would have immediately assembled national and international medical experts and done exactly what THEY recommend. One of those things would have been to green-light significant funding to get test kits developed ASAP.
The current POTUS dithered for weeks, eventually did an ineffective partial ban on US citizens entering on direct flights from China. By that time the virus had already been identified outside China. Then the Don downplayed the risks, telling everyone this was just another flu. All the feet dragging in February led to March panics.
Anyone with a functional brain can see why the USA is in as severe a predicament it is in … because its leadership is shallow and reactional, interested only in looking strong, not interested in putting in the long term hard work necessary to have safety nets that save everyone. Clear as day to anyone who isn’t a paid troll here.
“To repeat, I am not going to play “Whataboutism.” (below)
Your entire post is “Whataboutism.” Practice what you preach!
Unfortunately, the guy who president of the United States sucks.
Republicans for the reason of not having black children in the same classrooms as white children cling to this BS known as states rights. What value is the word United in United States? If trump were any kind of a leader, and had competent people around him, perhaps we would be in much better mindsets, if not with many more Americans still living. If it weren’t for his hoaxing the virus, if it weren’t for the people bending over so hard not trying to contradict his lies and misinformation, if it weren’t for Fox News continuing to let its on air opinion shows pass as news, there may be a few less of us with this virus. trump understood what Nixon did wrong, Nixon didn’t lie about everything and then lie about lying, Nixon did not go after the news media and make them the enemy of the state and the people they reported to, well not hard enough, trump realized all he needed was control of the house, or the senate or at least 35 senators, or a crooked attorney general, and in that way he could hide every crooked thing he wanted to do. A leader, that gave a damn about people other than himself and family and close friends, would have pull a frighten nation together by action. he would have given those businesses what they needed, cover from their stock holders and organized them to build things they had no experience building. he, by invoking special powers given to president at time of great crisis, would have guaranteed the purchase of those products. Well, trump is a cheater, crook, and a liar. These bankers know trump, even if many Americans don’t. They know he will not pay, and he can’t be trusted. No wonder so many of these banks are running with an excuse not to make loans to businesses, cause they don’t want to be on the hook and beholding to trump to back those loans with that money approved by congress. See it goes like this, the banks makes those blind loans without the guarantee backed by the government and guess what, trump tells them no, not going to pay, you can have 10 cents on the dollar, then he crows about making a great deal. Also, he will tell them not to complain, they should be nicer to him… you’ve all heard that bit of crap come out of his mouth. This is no way to run a nation.
You would think the VP had good sense, but let’s not kid ourselves he’s a failed Rush Limbaugh.
Well, Ronald set us up for this the nine most terrifying are ‘I’m from the government and I’m here to help.’
I guess we should learn to live with these words, “the government has no interest in your life or well being. oh yeah, good luck.”
know the difference in hindsight, and leadership. trump is blind.
Where is apple making the shields? CA, TX? Too bad a president did lead and organize a notion, find out who could what and how fast, or direct those things to the places of need. oh well, what 5 more years of trump, hell this trump guy, this rich kid would spend almost 300 million dollars playing golf. you folks know that’s over a quarter of a billion dollars for this guy, this rich whinny kid, to play golf
If your banker doesn’t trust trump, why should you?
Joe…….go back to bed and quit rambling
“Republicans for the reason of not having black children in the same classrooms as white children”
You lost me in your first sentence.
If you have no idea who fought slavery, inequality, civil rights and segregation, then why would I want to believe anything else you have top say?
Typical under/over-educated libs have all fallen for the race blame switcheroo.
Seriously, you have no clue about this reality.
You’re correct. Republicans like Abraham Lincoln, were the progressives during the 19th century. Democrats were the reactionary party. But that was 150 years ago. By the early 20th century the Democratic Party was really developing a split between the north, more labor oriented party, and the south with states-rights democrats. That second group has evolved into one of the most conservative wings of the Republican party. And the more progressive Republicans have become Democrats. SO while Bob was really misstated the actual facts,claiming Republican politics in the 19th century as some sort of excuse for their anti-federalism today is a bit disingenuous.
Lincoln thoughts on the Union: http://www.abrahamlincolnonline.org/lincoln/speeches/greeley.htm
Lincoln did not believe in the equality of men or women.
From this letter, Lincoln seems not so concerned slavery, only in saving the union.
As for the history lessons of what was once, hmm, you nor I live in those times. The problems posed to us are those that are here and now. If for some reason, as a Republican, you need to look back 150 for your proudest party’s political moment how sad. If as a Democrat, you can’t hold your head as your party has changed to be one which has fought its liar, and thieves, and rich kids and by collaboration changed what was once the key values of your party, how, to quote Donald Trump, “sad”. Psychiatrist only tell people that they need to deal with their problems. That does require a look back, into their personal history, at times. There’s an added problem, history can’t be changed.
Make no mistake, the 60’s, and 70s, whose compromises led to project housing, separated people. Yes the housing was very much needed, but it was also another way to move a people into concentrated areas. an aside: No Mr. Biden is not a great choice, not even what seems to be the lesser of two evils. “I could work with both side”, no, see wrong is wrong Mr. Biden, South Boston comes to mind . One should not qualify wrong as a matter of the times. “Well meaning Liberals”, that is suppose to be an insult and a blessing. “Starch Conservative”, that is suppose to be an insult and a blessing. The look back, historical, social, interesting and necessary is not what is happening right now. Dealing with what is before one is the challenge. As the kids would say, ” it is what it is “.
Also of note, those southern white democrats, for which race separation was their most important issue, found a comfortable home in the party that lays claim to freeing the slaves.
In another 100 years these parties may no longer exist or they could switch ideologies.
Ah, my point, states rights has to due with race. The federal courts, government, ordered bussing, many states did not want to comply. Bussing, well, that was about integrating schools, fair spending, and yes, a social experiment. Many thought reason would win out. The parents, too set in their ways, would not changed, but the thought was the kids would get to know each other. That they would rise above their parents’ ideas, and through the experience learn that people are the same for the most part. Ah, there is the rub. Seen the state of Alabama, church schools, or how about those charter schools, isn’t Tim from there? Alabama made such moves to keep black children from going to school with white children. States Rights is about race. The republicans are champion States Rights… it’s about race.
“Also of note, those southern white democrats, for which race separation was their most important issue, found a comfortable home in the party that lays claim to freeing the slaves.”
No they didn’t. Just typical lib speak when you don’t know the reality.
Go look at EVERY southern state’s representation for the last 40 years.
They were still majority Democrat in some 15 years ago and most 25 years ago.
The shit you people pass off as facts….
To answer you as intellectually as you deserve.
YES THEY DID! BUTT FACE!
The name of the party is called The Democratic Party, lol, you simp.
Look that up too.
TowerTone, the individuals who were Southern Democratic Party elected officials 25 or 15 years ago are overwhelmingly Republican officials today. They switched parties after the Voting Rights Act brought a significant number of African-Americans into the party, making it difficult for former segregationists to win Democratic primaries. That isn’t excrement. It really is a fact.
This is the place to comment on “Apple sources over 20M face masks to support COVID-19 response,” isn’t it? Am I on the wrong webpage?
Add AR functionality to face shields and EVERYONE will be wearing them.
No-one will giving weird glances to someone with a face shield in public now.
Massive opportunity here and no need to train people to slowly accept VR/AR headsets which help you to stay safe AND help with daily tasks.
Amusing to see people saying “he should have known!”. You know who was the FIRST person to recognize this threat to everyone here? TRUMP. No-one had a clue about it until Trump announced the travel ban…then he was subsequently trashed for it while impeachment proceedings continued.
Tim Cook should have known? WAKE UP. America is divided, weak, and some people here want the USA to hurt..and its working.
I was posting here about the virus before the travel ban. It had been all over the despised MSM for two months before that. Any reasonably well-informed individual was aware of the threat by early January. Our President was still assuring us that the virus was no threat and concern over it was a hoax well into March. Those are historical facts that not even the Ministry of Truth can erase.
He never said it was a hoax.
Here’s the definition of a hoax, TxEr-
Go look in a mirror…..
How well does the Ministry of Truth pay for rewriting history? No, He did not say the virus was a hoax (although he was insisting that it was no threat to America well into March). Yes, He DID say that the expressions of concern by Democrats and the media were a hoax, He was expressly telling America and his Administration that there was no need to prepare during the weeks and months when preparation would have saved lives.
Here’s a nice summary of the “hoax” discussion…
https://bit.ly/2XbKMxa
Citizen TX, apparently the word CHINA doesn’t exist in your vocabulary? Does Trump run Italy and Spain too? At least 40,000 people died in China, do you think that just might have influenced the response if we had known how bad it was? I still see dozens of retired, lefty lawyer types flaunting the stay at home orders left and right all over Silicon Valley, bicycling, walking/running far from home, shopping and being typical, selfish Boom a-holes, like they’re entitled to a ventilator if they need on. Spin that onto Trump as well, the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China appreciates your hard work.
For you lot, the President can do no wrong. When he clearly has, you suggest that it is somebody else’s fault. If that doesn’t work, you fall back on “what about the Communists,” or “what about the liberals.” The man’s performance needs to be measured with Truman’s “the buck stops here,” not with his own “I don’t take responsibility.”
For you lot, the President can do no right. When he clearly has, you suggest that is still… all his fault. If that doesn’t work, you fall back on “it is the Russians,” or “he is dogwhistling” or “he is racist” or “he’s not my president” or “we need another investigation” or “The Ministry of Truth” or “he’s minimizing the threat” or “he’s exaggerating the threat” or “he isn’t doing enough” or “what he’s doing is wrong” etc….
Awesome post! I want to thank you and others for pointing out the pseudo intellectual LIAR, Republican in sheep’s clothing none other than TXUser. Well done… 👍🏻🤠
I assume you are also convinced that he is a medical genius for spending $29 million in taxpayer money on chloroquine, rather than on masks and respirators. We know that respirators save lives. We know nothing for sure about chloroquine, except that it is being diverted from the patients using it for conditions where it has been proven safe and effective to an off-label use that has only anecdotal support, and has powerful side effects that require monitoring by already-overworked medical professionals.
I’m sure you applauded when the President refused to allow Dr. Fauci to answer a question about the wonder drug at yesterday’s press conference. Yes, the drug may work, but we don’t know that for certain. It might turn out like prescribing thalidomide for morning sickness. I don’t know, you don’t know, and the President doesn’t know in the absence of proper clinical trials.
While there are encouraging small-scale studies, most other countries are restricting use to clinical trials:
https://www.fiercepharma.com/pharma/europe-locks-down-chloroquine-scripts-as-researchers-china-report-positive-controlled-covid
We block, ignore, ban and put negative spin on all studies, large or small, successful or not, that might put Trump in a positive light.
You are right! Everything Trump suggests, endorses or thinks might show promise is BAD! Trump should follow some Dem governors and ban the use of any experimental drugs and therapies. Much better to wait 5 (or more) years for some more effective medicine to be approved by every office, agency and department in the government. We certainly don’t want to try anything that might work. We don’t even want to find out if it works… because that might mean Trump was right. Can’t have that!
What do you think a clinical trial IS? It is how medical professionals “find out if it works.” The Federal Food and Drug Act prohibits snake oil salesmen from peddling their wares until there is some reliable evidence that they are both safe and effective.
Again, I’m not saying that the President’s drugs of choice are not safe or effective, only that there is no strong evidence yet that they are. Claiming that they most certainly are the magic bullet to end the epidemic is just this month’s version of the strategy of minimizing the threat that the Administration has been pursuing since January. It has been encouraging Americans to avoid taking effective measures because they appear to be unnecessary.
There is no strong evidence yet that they are not. I think we should wait five years to find out. Agreed? As the president, we certainly don’t want him minimizing anything… especially the unknown. Much better that our leader maximizes the threat… especially of the unknown.
“It has been encouraging Americans to avoid taking effective measures because they appear to be unnecessary.” Please clarify. Thanks!
When the Leader of the Free World tells you that Covid-19 is less of a threat than the flu and will disappear like a miracle in a matter of days, it is difficult for a Mere Mortal like a governor or mayor to convince you to stay home from work or away from the beaches. Seems pretty clear to me.
Agreed! The Dems were busy with their impeachment. The press, too. Trump had to deal with them and the virus from “you know where.”
Please get your timeline corrected. This isn’t about making anybody look bad. It’s about identifying mistakes so we don’t make them again.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/timeline-trump-administration-s-response-coronavirus-n1162206
Nov 2019: Chinese government has a problem https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/13/first-covid-19-case-happened-in-november-china-government-records-show-report
Dec 2019: meagre data available to international medical orgnizations to identify virulence and spread. South China Morning Post starts posting news in Chinese.
Dec 31, 2019: AP reports on “outbreak of respiratory illness in the central city of Wuhan”.
Jan 6, 2020 US CDC warns Americans to take precautions if traveling to China.
Jan 14, 2020 WHO issues first statement, which is vague because they still have no clear evidence of how human-to-human transmission occurs
Jan 21, 2020 First case identified in USA
Jan 27, 2020 POTUS declares, “We are in very close communication with China concerning the virus. Very few cases reported in USA, but strongly on watch. We have offered China and President Xi any help that is necessary. Our experts are extraordinary!”
Jan 30, 2020 POTUS declares, “Now we’re working very strongly with China on the coronavirus — that’s a new thing that a lot of people are talking about. Hopefully it won’t be as bad as some people think it could be.” and “Working closely with China and others on Coronavirus outbreak. Only 5 people in U.S., all in good recovery.”
Jan 31, 2020: The Trump administration suspends entry into the United States by foreign nationals who traveled to China within the last 14 days (excluding Hong Kong and Macau). This does not apply to lawful U.S. residents and family members/ spouses of U.S. residents or citizens.
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Feb 24, 2020 POTUS declares, “The Coronavirus is very much under control in the USA. We are in contact with everyone and all relevant countries. CDC & World Health have been working hard and very smart. Stock Market starting to look very good to me!”
Feb 25, 2020 At a news conference in India, Trump says that the coronavirus is “well under control” and that there are “very few people with it.”
That day, his top economic adviser, Larry Kudlow, tells CNBC that the U.S. has “contained” the coronavirus and that the outbreak is unlikely to be an “economic tragedy.”
The U.S. military announces that a service member stationed in South Korea tested positive for the coronavirus. The 23-year-old soldier is the first service member to test positive for the virus.
POTUS starts his political spin, claiming “CDC and my Administration are doing a GREAT job of handling Coronavirus, including the very early closing of our borders to certain areas of the world. It was opposed by the Dems, “too soon”, but turned out to be the correct decision. No matter how well we do, however, the…..”
Feb 26, 2020 Despite the administration supposedly having everything under control, and everything contained, POTUS sidelines HHS Secretary Azar and appoints VP Pence to lead US coronavirus task team. The only one anywhere near the podium who appears to know anything about pandemics is Dr. Tony Fauci, who has the unenviable task of correcting practically everything the POTUS claims is happening.
POTUS retreats again to Twitter Damage Control to attack all who ask why the administration is so slow: this time the evil media is attacked. Why exactly does the POTUS have time to watch the media when a worldwide pandemic is spreading? He does not explain. “Low Ratings Fake News MSDNC (Comcast) & @CNN are doing everything possible to make the Caronavirus look as bad as possible, including panicking markets, if possible. Likewise their incompetent Do Nothing Democrat comrades are all talk, no action. USA in great shape! @CDCgov…..”
Feb 27, 2020 The Washington Post reports that a whistleblower complaint claimed that the Department of Health and Human Services sent more than a dozen workers without proper training or protective gear to assist with Americans evacuated from Wuhan, China. This account was later confirmed to NBC News by the whistleblower’s lawyer.
Feb 28, 2020 POTUS continues his flailing, this time against the Dems: “So, the Coronavirus, which started in China and spread to various countries throughout the world, but very slowly in the U.S. because President T closed our border, and ended flights, VERY EARLY, is now being blamed, by the Do Nothing Democrats, to be the fault of ‘T…’.”
Feb 29, 2020 First US death of coronavirus. POTUS brags in a premature victory lap, oblivious to the exponential rise in deaths to come, all predicted by pandemic experts: “We’ve taken the most aggressive actions to confront the coronavirus. They are the most aggressive taken by any country. And we’re the No. 1 travel destination anywhere in the world, yet we have far fewer cases of the disease than even countries with much less travel or a much smaller population.”
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March 6, 2020 Finally healthcare response funding package is signed by president, who was practically absent in its authoring. $8.3 billion is authorized, about $7 billion more that POTUS claimed he estimated would be necessary.
March 8, 2020 POTUS again acts as if he has everything under control: “We have a perfectly coordinated and fine tuned plan at the White House for our attack on CoronaVirus. We moved VERY early to close borders to certain areas, which was a Godsend. V.P. is doing a great job. The Fake News Media is doing everything possible to make us look bad. Sad!” The Fake News Media, i.e., the channels POTUS watches, indeed ignore the medical issues. Real media outlets report hospital supply issues, pandemic trends, and so forth.
March 9, 2020 POTUS displays again his disconnect from reality. “So last year 37,000 Americans died from the common Flu. It averages between 27,000 and 70,000 per year. Nothing is shut down, life & the economy go on. At this moment there are 546 confirmed cases of CoronaVirus, with 22 deaths. Think about that!” It shouldn’t take a rocket surgeon to know that comparing an annual death count for all strains of influenza against the first month of deaths for a new virus that has no vaccine — that is a classically stupid (at best) and disingenuous comparison to even attempt to make.
March 10, 2020 POTUS lies through his teeth: “And when people need a test, they can get a test. When the professionals need a test, when they need tests for people, they can get the test. It’s gone really well.” Xenophobe follows this later with the least effective pandemic response idea ever: “Going up fast. We need the Wall more than ever! ”
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And so it goes. Lies, spin, and SLOW response to needed supplies. Playing shallow politics the whole while. This is not leadership, it’s a lost reality TV star grasping for new cue cards to read.
The White House “briefing” today was perhaps the most embarrassing spectacle I have seen associated with that building in my lifetime. The President told us once again that the Federal response was perfect, as exemplified once again by the “fact” that everyone who needs to be tested is being tested.
Then reporters pointed out a new report by the Health and Human Services Inspector General (a non-political civil servant who has been with the department for over 20 years and was placed in her current position by the Trump Administration earlier this year). The report is a summary of a telephone survey of 233 hospitals, almost all of whom report that the difficulty in obtaining timely testing is creating a nightmare for them.
Confronted by the evidence that he was still misspeaking about the availability of testing, the President embarked on a tantrum that would embarrass any self-respecting three-year-old. He insulted the Inspector General, questioned her competence, accused her of bias, and generally had a snit-fit. Among other things, he suggested that the hospitals had a duty to conduct testing without the same Federal assistance that he was just bragging about. To punctuate the disgusting meltdown, he started throwing schoolboy insults at the reporters who were just doing their job of asking questions.
We can expect the HHS IG to join the IC IG in the ranks of the unemployed. For those of you who think the Government should be run like a business, imagine what would happen to a corporate CEO who fired all the internal auditors and refused to allow the outside auditors access to the books. The shareholders would have an even bigger fit than he did today. Of course, Mr. Trump has never worked in a publicly-held corporation (or the military or any government) before.
Mr. Trump has been arguing (and so far sucessfully) that he can block the Inspectors General, defy congressional subpoenas, dismiss criminal proceedings, and assert immunity in civil proceedings. Taken together, that would give him more arbitrary power than George III had in 1775.
Thank gOD Lady Hillary von Pantsuit isn’t in the White House right now (or ever). Between her coughing fits, other mysterious health issues and crooked political connections, I’m sure her lack of leadership would pale in comparison to Trump.
But what about James Buchanan? (Just as relevant a response.)
“This isn’t about making anybody look bad. It’s about identifying mistakes so we don’t make them again.”
Kidding, or just disingenuous? Oh wait, there’s only one choice.
Bankruptcy King makes himself look bad. Mike laid out all the facts, it’s the usual right wing troll here who refuse to admit their presidential candidate is, was, and always shall be a brainless empty suit with a big mouth. Nobody expected him to be a good executive and he disappoints everyone to this day.
Truman said, “The buck stops here.” Don The Bankruptcy King said on camera, “I don’t take responsibility.” and weaseled off stage as fast as he could.