Running against Dr. Fauci
(Door Hugo Kijne te Hoboken USA)
The last couple of days Trump has served up a primer for emerging dictators. First he joined the chant ’lock her up’ for the Michigan governor who had just escaped being kidnapped and most likely killed by domestic terrorists, expanding it to ‘lock them all up’ to include Joe and Hunter Biden, whom he called criminals. When asked by a reporter exactly what crime they might have committed the president yelled ‘you’re a criminal too, for not reporting about it.’ That reporting would have been about a cockamamie NY Post story involving Hunter’s broken laptop that allegedly showed improper contact between his father and Ukrainians. This fable almost certainly originated with a Russian intelligence agent, who used Rudy Giuliani to get it to the US media, and was so suspect that the NY Post reporter would not sign his name to it. Trump had been warned by US intelligence agencies that the Russians were using Hizzoner to peddle horseshit to the Oval Office, but ignored the warning because he wanted the shit. After the Ukraine story failed a similar China story popped up, but by then the source, Giuliani, had become totally unbelievable.
Although the president keeps spewing disparaging remarks about Biden and demands that he be indicted it appears that he really is running against those who maintain that COVID-19 is a dangerous threat, like Dr. Anthony Fauci and 99.9% of medical professionals. In spite of an alarming increase in the number of COVID cases Trump maintains that the US is ‘turning the corner’ and continues with a super-spreader tour that takes him to some of the most affected parts of the country. Growing more aggressive by the day the president called Dr. Fauci ‘a disaster’ and referred to the medical community as ‘idiots.’ His opinion is formed by MRI-expert Scott Atlas, who is not bothered by any knowledge about infectious diseases and whispers dangerous nonsense in Trump’s ear, like that only 25% of the population needs to be infected to achieve ‘herd immunity’ and that 85% of the people who wear masks get infected, information that the president gladly repeats. Since it is clear that there won’t be a vaccine before the upcoming election the president’s strongest argument for his approach is that people are tired of the virus, although most Americans seem not to be tired of living.
Trump claims that he doesn’t remember if he was tested for COVID before the first debate with Joe Biden, and instead of a second, virtual, debate there were two competing town halls where a nervous president made the usual ass of himself while Biden, who attracted more viewers, did quite well. At this point it is not even certain that Trump is no longer infectious, and the Biden campaign will demand irrefutable proof before they let the third debate on Thursday proceed. Certain is that during the two minutes the participants have to respond to a first question the microphone of their opponent will be shut off, so that the president cannot repeat his disruptive behavior of the last debate. The Trump campaign first objected to this new rule but eventually figured that he really needs the air time.
Initially the president also refused to give financial assistance to California to deal with the devastating effect of the wildfires, but a public outcry and one call from the governor made him change his mind. A second stimulus package has been hanging in the balance until now, because Trump didn’t want to pay for testing, but negotiations are ongoing, although McConnell won’t let anything pass the Senate. It was revealed that the 2020 budget deficit was $3.1 trillion, and that the national debt grew to $21 trillion. In his town hall the president confirmed that he owes someone $400 million in debt, with a personal guarantee that indicates a lack of assets, but he called it ‘peanuts’ and started bragging about his formidable wealth.
To his campaign routine Trump has added a silly dance to the tune of ‘YMCA,’ one of the few songs he is allowed to play at his rallies. Although he is belligerent he also acknowledges the chance that he’ll lose the election, telling states that he’ll ‘never come back’ if he doesn’t win there and even contemplating leaving the US altogether. Pundits observe that although in 2016 Trump had a relatively coherent economic message and showed some discipline in the last couple of weeks before the election this time his only message is one of hatred and rage, delivered by an unhinged candidate who doesn’t have anything else left in the tank.
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