occupydemocrats--2020-04-28--Pence refuses to wear mask in visit to virus patients at Mayo Clinic

In times of a national health crisis , America expects its leaders to set examples for the general population and be the benchmark for behavioral standards .
Since Donald Trump promised during his 2016 campaign to institute massive changes to the way government as usual would be conducted , it hasn ’ t been surprising to see the president and his administration violate just about every standard of executive branch behavior that came before it .
Still , the unintended consequences of holding the Trump administration to a standard of behavior lower than the Mariana Trench are becoming increasingly clear @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus pandemic .
Practicing what medical professional preach would be the very least one could expect from the man that the president appointed to lead the White House Coronavirus Task Force .
Yet , there was Vice President Mike Pence touring the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota today , visiting patients infected with the COVID-19 virus while blatantly ignoring the Clinic ’ s requirement that all visitors wear face coverings when entering their testing center .
Video posted on Twitter of the vice president ’ s visit likely inspired quick questions of “ what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” from viewers who wouldn ’ t need more than a cursory glance to see which one of these people was different from the rest .
The journalist who posted the footage noted that the clinic could have required that Pence don a mask before entering the premises , but it soon became apparent that they did inform the vice president of their regulations and they simply capitulated to a powerful politician ’ s desire to make sure his face wasn ’ t obscured for the TV cameras brought in tow .
What @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Mayo Clinic was complicit in covering up for Pence ’ s violations of safety protocols by deleting the tweet that they had posted that essentially said : “ Whttps : //twitter.com/ErickFernandez/status/1255207640587698179 ?
s=20ell , we told him he had to wear a mask !
¯\_ ( ツ ) _/¯.
” While everyone else who was wearing a mask was unlikely to spread the virus to the vice president , he was in an indoor environment at a testing center where anyone would be at higher risk of encountering stray virus particles floating @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an asymptomatic “ super-spreader ” of the disease .
The nickname “ Typhoid Mike ” may soon be something Donald Trump starts calling his president-in-waiting .
Besides setting a terrible example for every other American at a time when too many people are not treating the virus as seriously as they should — as the right-wing demonstrators calling for reopening of businesses sooner than is safe for public health and the people flocking to beaches this past weekend have demonstrated — Pence ’ s disregard for the Mayo Clinic ’ s mask protocols @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the health and safety of those with whom he comes into contact every day .
Then again , why would Mike Pence care about anything else besides himself and his political future when his boss , the president , sets the standard for Republican selfishness and disregard for anyone but himself and a few billionaire donors ?
Check back in 14 days , to see if we have a followup story on the vice president ’ s testing status .
And let ’ s see how closely Donald Trump lets Pence stand next @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
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Scroll down and let us know in our NEW comment section !

In times of a national health crisis, America expects its leaders to set examples for the general population and be the benchmark for behavioral standards.
Since Donald Trump promised during his 2016 campaign to institute massive changes to the way government as usual would be conducted, it hasn’t been surprising to see the president and his administration violate just about every standard of executive branch behavior that came before it.
Still, the unintended consequences of holding the Trump administration to a standard of behavior lower than the Mariana Trench are becoming increasingly clear — and increasingly disturbing — during the coronavirus pandemic.
Practicing what medical professional preach would be the very least one could expect from the man that the president appointed to lead the White House Coronavirus Task Force.
Yet, there was Vice President Mike Pence touring the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota today, visiting patients infected with the COVID-19 virus while blatantly ignoring the Clinic’s requirement that all visitors wear face coverings when entering their testing center.
Video posted on Twitter of the vice president’s visit likely inspired quick questions of “what’s wrong with this picture?” from viewers who wouldn’t need more than a cursory glance to see which one of these people was different from the rest.
Here’s video of the Mayo Clinic letting Mike Pence in without one anyway.pic.twitter.com/S5sKm4wgGh https://t.co/4spl2p1c5T — Erick Fernandez (@ErickFernandez) April 28, 2020
The journalist who posted the footage noted that the clinic could have required that Pence don a mask before entering the premises, but it soon became apparent that they did inform the vice president of their regulations and they simply capitulated to a powerful politician’s desire to make sure his face wasn’t obscured for the TV cameras brought in tow.
What’s worse is the likelihood that the Mayo Clinic was complicit in covering up for Pence’s violations of safety protocols by deleting the tweet that they had posted that essentially said: “Well, we told him he had to wear a mask! ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.”
While everyone else who was wearing a mask was unlikely to spread the virus to the vice president, he was in an indoor environment at a testing center where anyone would be at higher risk of encountering stray virus particles floating around and potentially become at least initially an asymptomatic “super-spreader” of the disease.
To be clear, the Vice President of the United States has the power to set an example for other Americans to follow. Setting aside medical guidance put forward by his own administration not only sets a dangerous example, it insults the healthcare professionals working overtime to save lives, those whose jobs he has likely made more difficult.
Besides setting a terrible example for every other American at a time when too many people are not treating the virus as seriously as they should — as the right-wing demonstrators calling for reopening of businesses sooner than is safe for public health and the people flocking to beaches this past weekend have demonstrated — Pence’s disregard for the Mayo Clinic’s mask protocols indicates how little he actually cares about the health and safety of those with whom he comes into contact every day.
Then again, why would Mike Pence care about anything else besides himself and his political future when his boss, the president, sets the standard for Republican selfishness and disregard for anyone but himself and a few billionaire donors?
Check back in 14 days, to see if we have a followup story on the vice president’s testing status. And let’s see how closely Donald Trump lets Pence stand next to him at the next press briefing.
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Original reporting by Grace Panetta at Business Insider.
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Vinnie Longobardo Managing Editor Vinnie Longobardo is the Managing Editor of Occupy Democrats. He's a 35-year veteran of the TV, mobile & internet industries, specializing in start-ups and the international media business. His passions are politics, music, and art. Latest Posts


occupydemocrats--2020-04-28--Trump explodes at reporter: “That’s why you’re Yahoo and nobody knows who you are.”

The United States now has over 1 million cases of COVID-19 cases and rather than devoting every ounce of his energy to uniting the country in the midst of this still-worsening crisis , President Trump continues to indulge in his worst , least productive habits Today , during a meeting with Governor Ron DeSantis ( R-FL ) Trump once again waded into a disgraceful , bullying interaction with a member of the free press .
The president was asked by Yahoo ‘ s Hunter Walker why South Korea has “ done five times more tests than the US per capita.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ t think the number was accurate and then asked what news outlet Walker worked for .
When Walker responded that he was a reporter for Yahoo News Trump made a condescending facial expression and kicked the question to Dr. Birx , the White House ’ s Coronavirus Response Coordinator .
Add your name to reject Trump & Republicans ’ vile idea of sacrificing seniors ’ lives to save the stock market !
Birx , in turn , gave a rambling defense of the United States ’ handling of the outbreak while failing to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Dr. Birx later circled back to address the “ Yahoo gentleman ” and corrected his earlier statement , informing him that South Korea ’ s COVID-19 testing rate was 11 per 100,000 and the United States is at 17 per 100,000 .
It was a perfectly understandable and minor mistake on Walker ’ s part but Trump used it to pounce like a schoolyard bully “ Are you going to apologize Yahoo ?
That ’ s why you ’ re Yahoo and nobody knows who you are , ” mocked Trump .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the president repeated his childish sentiment : “ That ’ s why nobody knows who you are including me.
” “ You ought to get your facts right before you make a statement like that , ” Trump added .
It was a shameful performance of the kind we ’ ve come to expect from the PR and ratings obsessed Trump and proved once again that he is incapable of even basic human decency .
Walker later addressed the encounter via Twitter and conceded that while the USA has passed South Korea @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ far higher ” as he noted .
Walker pointed out that the president and Birx failed to answer his questions about the latter fact .
The tweets are a perfect example of how a civil , productive conversation between a government official and reporter should be handled and Trump would do well to take a page from Walker ’ s book .
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The United States now has over 1 million cases of COVID-19 cases and rather than devoting every ounce of his energy to uniting the country in the midst of this still-worsening crisis, President Trump continues to indulge in his worst, least productive habits
Today, during a meeting with Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) Trump once again waded into a disgraceful, bullying interaction with a member of the free press.
The president was asked by Yahoo‘s Hunter Walker why South Korea has “done five times more tests than the US per capita.” Trump responded that he didn’t think the number was accurate and then asked what news outlet Walker worked for.
When Walker responded that he was a reporter for Yahoo News Trump made a condescending facial expression and kicked the question to Dr. Birx, the White House’s Coronavirus Response Coordinator.
Add your name to reject Trump & Republicans’ vile idea of sacrificing seniors’ lives to save the stock market!
Birx, in turn, gave a rambling defense of the United States’ handling of the outbreak while failing to directly answer the journalist’s question.
REPORTER: South Korea has done 5 times more tests than the US per capita. Why is that? TRUMP: I don't think that's true R: That is true, and you said the US passed South Korea in virus testing T: I don't think that's true. Who are you with? R: Yahoo TRUMP: *has Birx answer* pic.twitter.com/SDsk2Csr0e — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 28, 2020
Dr. Birx later circled back to address the “Yahoo gentleman” and corrected his earlier statement, informing him that South Korea’s COVID-19 testing rate was 11 per 100,000 and the United States is at 17 per 100,000. It was a perfectly understandable and minor mistake on Walker’s part but Trump used it to pounce like a schoolyard bully
“Are you going to apologize Yahoo? That’s why you’re Yahoo and nobody knows who you are,” mocked Trump. When the reporter tried to explain himself, the president repeated his childish sentiment: “That’s why nobody knows who you are including me.”
“You ought to get your facts right before you make a statement like that,” Trump added. It was a shameful performance of the kind we’ve come to expect from the PR and ratings obsessed Trump and proved once again that he is incapable of even basic human decency.
“That’s why nobody knows who you are, including me” — Trump and Birx team up to attack the Yahoo reporter who asked earlier about testing pic.twitter.com/ZBrqOiCKGm — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 28, 2020
Walker later addressed the encounter via Twitter and conceded that while the USA has passed South Korea in tests per capita our infection is “far higher” as he noted. Walker pointed out that the president and Birx failed to answer his questions about the latter fact.
The tweets are a perfect example of how a civil, productive conversation between a government official and reporter should be handled and Trump would do well to take a page from Walker’s book.
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occupydemocrats--2020-04-28--Trump’s Press Secretary gets publicly fact-checked after promoting misleading virus testing info

As Donald Trump ’ s fourth press secretary in three years , Kayleigh McEnany has some big shoes to fill @ @ @ @ @ the skills of both a whirling dervish and a Rapunzel to spin the president ’ @ @ @ @ @ and purposeful misinformation into political gold for a president who tries to gild every turd @ @ @ @ @ has to match the performance of Sean Spicer who — with a straight face , @ @ @ @ @ Trump ’ s inauguration attracted “ the largest audience ever to witness an inauguration , @ @ @ @ @ around the globe , ” despite the embarrassing ariel photos proving quite the contrary .
@ @ @ @ @ as well as Sarah Huckabee Sanders who managed to claim that Trump never paid hush-money @ @ @ @ @ Karen McDougal to keep quiet about their “ alleged ” affairs , despite the fact @ @ @ @ @ made the payments .

As Donald Trump’s fourth press secretary in three years, Kayleigh McEnany has some big shoes to fill in a job that requires the skills of both a whirling dervish and a Rapunzel to spin the president’s lies, gaffes, and purposeful misinformation into political gold for a president who tries to gild every turd that he excretes.
She has to match the performance of Sean Spicer who — with a straight face, no less — claimed that Trump’s inauguration attracted “the largest audience ever to witness an inauguration, period, both in-person and around the globe,” despite the embarrassing ariel photos proving quite the contrary.
She also has to prevaricate as well as Sarah Huckabee Sanders who managed to claim that Trump never paid hush-money payments to Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal to keep quiet about their “alleged” affairs, despite the fact that Trump admitted to having made the payments.
Then there’s her immediate predecessor Stephanie Grisham who managed during her nine-month tenure to accomplish a previously unmatched record of consecutive days without holding a press briefing. Despite her singular achievement of never holding a single press briefing — a fundamental part of her job description — Grisham still managed to parrot Trump’s lies on Twitter and in her frequent Fox News appearances. Kayleigh McEnany is proving to be more than up to at least equalling, if not exceeding, the level of duplicitousness that each of her predecessors has exhibited. Add your name to reject Trump & Republicans’ vile idea of sacrificing seniors’ lives to save the stock market! Take her latest defense of the administration’s record on coronavirus testing versus that of South Korea, a country that saw its first case of COVID-19 on the same day that the U.S, had its first reported case. President @realDonaldTrump's whole-of-America approach has drastically increased testing capacity ⬇ While South Korea has tested 11 per 100,000, the United States has tested 17 per 100,000. We have tested DOUBLE the number of any other country! — Kayleigh McEnany (@PressSec) April 28, 2020 Glenn Kessler, the chief fact-checker for The Washington Post, provided the explanation as to why McEnany’s tweet is so misleading. The missing context: Both countries got 1st case same day, Jan. 21. South Korea acted quickly, ramped up testing and stopped the spread. 5 deaths/million people. The USA acted slowly on testing, and failed to stop the spread. 173 deaths/million — and counting. https://t.co/OWFSFQZr6g — Glenn Kessler (@GlennKesslerWP) April 28, 2020 The White House studiously avoided even mentioning the per capita testing rates for the virus— preferring to simply hype the raw number of tests conducted — until testing ramped up only recently to a per capita level that wasn’t horribly embarrassing to the administration. As to the per capita death rate, there’s been not a peep from the administration on that statistic. It looks like Kayleigh McEnany will more than measure up to her antecedents in the role of Trump’s primary spinmeister. In her honor, we’ll dedicate this song to her wondrous skills at turning misinformation into political currency for her boss. Follow Vinnie Longobardo on Twitter. We want to hear what YOU have to say. Scroll down and let us know in our NEW comment section!
Vinnie Longobardo Managing Editor Vinnie Longobardo is the Managing Editor of Occupy Democrats. He's a 35-year veteran of the TV, mobile & internet industries, specializing in start-ups and the international media business. His passions are politics, music, and art. Latest Posts


occupydemocrats--2020-04-28--Social media schools Ivanka Trump after she touts military airshow for first responders

As America ’ s underpaid , undersupplied , and overworked healthcare workers and first responders struggle to save lives amid the coronavirus pandemic , the government and their corporate allies have been working overtime to hail them as heroes and martyrs .
While such sentiments are well and good , many are puzzled some of the more ostentatious displays of performative appreciation .
Today , the U.S. Navy ’ s Blue Angels and the Air Force ’ s Thunderbird fighter jets flew in formation over New York , New Jersey , and Pennsylvania as a “ tribute ” to America @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lines of the battle against coronavirus .
Why the expenditure of $ 60,000 an hour for a macabre display of imperial might is supposed to make America ’ s doctors and nurses feel appreciated has never been explained .
What better way is there to let our medical staff , many of whom are facing tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars in school debt , know that they are appreciated than by taunting them with the things that our nation purchased instead of providing them with universal healthcare or public college ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ themselves and using homemade masks because the Trump administration encouraged the selling of medical equipment stockpiles right before the pandemic hit , is the scream of killing machines passing overhead supposed to fill them with a sense of duty and resolve ?
Add your name to reject Trump & Republicans ’ vile idea of sacrificing seniors ’ lives to save the stock market !
The president ’ s daughter took to Twitter to celebrate the airshow but quickly was inundated with complaints that the administration should be focused more on getting our nurses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to survive rather than a flyby and some balloons that say HEROES WORK HERE .

As America’s underpaid, undersupplied, and overworked healthcare workers and first responders struggle to save lives amid the coronavirus pandemic, the government and their corporate allies have been working overtime to hail them as heroes and martyrs.
While such sentiments are well and good, many are puzzled some of the more ostentatious displays of performative appreciation. Today, the U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels and the Air Force’s Thunderbird fighter jets flew in formation over New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania as a “tribute” to America’s first responders on the front lines of the battle against coronavirus.
Why the expenditure of $60,000 an hour for a macabre display of imperial might is supposed to make America’s doctors and nurses feel appreciated has never been explained.
What better way is there to let our medical staff, many of whom are facing tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars in school debt, know that they are appreciated than by taunting them with the things that our nation purchased instead of providing them with universal healthcare or public college?
When hospital workers are taping trashbags to themselves and using homemade masks because the Trump administration encouraged the selling of medical equipment stockpiles right before the pandemic hit, is the scream of killing machines passing overhead supposed to fill them with a sense of duty and resolve?
Add your name to reject Trump & Republicans’ vile idea of sacrificing seniors’ lives to save the stock market!
The president’s daughter took to Twitter to celebrate the airshow but quickly was inundated with complaints that the administration should be focused more on getting our nurses and doctors the safety equipment they need to survive rather than a flyby and some balloons that say HEROES WORK HERE.
How much #PPE could you provide for the price of one Thunderbird? Maybe use the hanger to store them? Asking for thousands of medical professionals saving our lives. — MoveOn (@MoveOn) April 28, 2020
$60,000 an hour well spent!!! — marisa kabas (@MarisaKabas) April 28, 2020
I'd trade the airshow for more testing and more protective equipment for our nurses and Doctors–but that is just me! — (((DeanObeidallah))) (@DeanObeidallah) April 28, 2020
Think they’d prefer a ventilator or two, call me crazy https://t.co/n5wEQkJLKo — Emma Vigeland (@EmmaVigeland) April 28, 2020
luv 2 militarize everything https://t.co/cIXOnW0nds — Rachel Klein (@racheleklein) April 28, 2020
I'm sure they prefer that to PPE, ramped-up testing capabilities and mental-health services. https://t.co/b1uSM3QD0J — Gary Legum (@GaryLegum) April 28, 2020
Maybe they could drop a hundred million test kits. — Jon “Bowzer” Bauman (@JonBowzerBauman) April 28, 2020
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occupydemocrats--2020-04-28--Party conflict erupts after GOP Senate fundraising arm tells candidates not to defend Trump over vir

Party conflict erupts after GOP Senate fundraising arm tells candidates not to defend Trump over virus

Donald Trump has thoroughly botched the response to the COVID-19 outbreak that it is certain to be his defining legacy .
He will go down as the president who failed the American people during a brutal pandemic , as the president who consistently downplayed concerns , dismissed the virus as a Democratic hoax , and who spent his time attacking political rivals when his country needed him to focus and actually do his job .
Unfortunately for the White House , there is no real way for Trump to use his incredibly limited arsenal of political tricks—which consists almost entirely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stirs his base and personal bullying—to explain away his administration ’ s coronavirus failings and it looks like it ’ s starting to hurt him politically .
Politico reports that just this month a 57-page memo was sent out by the National Republican Senatorial Committee that directed candidates to temper their public support for the president over COVID-19 .
“ Don ’ t defend Trump , other than the China Travel ban — attack China , ” it reads .
The memo explicitly suggested that candidates should—if asked directly about Trump ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ China instead of digging in and defending Trump .
Add your name to reject Trump & Republicans ’ vile idea of sacrificing seniors ’ lives to save the stock market !
In other words , it appears that the people responsible for keeping Republicans in power believe sticking up for Trump ’ s coronavirus record is a losing battle that would be better fought by focusing on distractions than what he has actually managed ( or failed ) to accomplish .
Not surprisingly , the Trump campaign was deeply displeased .
After Politico @ @ @ @ @ @ @ R. Clark , the Senior Counsel for Trump ’ s reelection campaign , informed the NRSC that candidates who heed the memo would not receive the support of the Trump campaign .
Several other campaign officials contacted the NRSC to register similar discontent .
One line of the memo in particular stuck in the craw of the Trump team because it seemed to admit that the president should have done more to curb the spread of the virus .
“ I wish that everyone acted earlier – that includes our elected officials , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ CDC , ” it reads .
Kevin McLaughlin , the NRSC ’ s executive director , responded to Clark ’ s threat by claiming that the committee wasn ’ t actually directing its advised candidates to shy away completely from defending Trump ’ s virus record .
He further claimed that the memo should have been more carefully worded .
“ There is no daylight between the NRSC and President Trump .
Senate Republicans have worked hand in glove with the Trump administration to ensure a highly effective federal response to Covid-19 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ What this story reveals boils down essentially to two things .
One , even Republicans are starting to realize what a liability Trump is going to before the party in November .
And two , Trump has such a tightfisted stranglehold on the GOP that even as they come to the realization that some distance between him and other Republican candidates could be advantageous , they ’ re too afraid to fully advocate that distance .
They know he ’ s sinking them but they ’ re terrified to unchain themselves from him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have to say .
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Donald Trump has thoroughly botched the response to the COVID-19 outbreak that it is certain to be his defining legacy. He will go down as the president who failed the American people during a brutal pandemic, as the president who consistently downplayed concerns, dismissed the virus as a Democratic hoax, and who spent his time attacking political rivals when his country needed him to focus and actually do his job.
Unfortunately for the White House, there is no real way for Trump to use his incredibly limited arsenal of political tricks—which consists almost entirely of his penchant for bigoted rhetoric that stirs his base and personal bullying—to explain away his administration’s coronavirus failings and it looks like it’s starting to hurt him politically.
Politico reports that just this month a 57-page memo was sent out by the National Republican Senatorial Committee that directed candidates to temper their public support for the president over COVID-19. “Don’t defend Trump, other than the China Travel ban — attack China,” it reads.
The memo explicitly suggested that candidates should—if asked directly about Trump’s handling of the pandemic—transition right into slamming China instead of digging in and defending Trump.
Add your name to reject Trump & Republicans’ vile idea of sacrificing seniors’ lives to save the stock market!
In other words, it appears that the people responsible for keeping Republicans in power believe sticking up for Trump’s coronavirus record is a losing battle that would be better fought by focusing on distractions than what he has actually managed (or failed) to accomplish.
Not surprisingly, the Trump campaign was deeply displeased. After Politico first reported on the memo, Justin R. Clark, the Senior Counsel for Trump’s reelection campaign, informed the NRSC that candidates who heed the memo would not receive the support of the Trump campaign. Several other campaign officials contacted the NRSC to register similar discontent.
One line of the memo in particular stuck in the craw of the Trump team because it seemed to admit that the president should have done more to curb the spread of the virus. “I wish that everyone acted earlier – that includes our elected officials, the World Health Organization, and the CDC,” it reads.
Kevin McLaughlin, the NRSC’s executive director, responded to Clark’s threat by claiming that the committee wasn’t actually directing its advised candidates to shy away completely from defending Trump’s virus record. He further claimed that the memo should have been more carefully worded.
“There is no daylight between the NRSC and President Trump. Senate Republicans have worked hand in glove with the Trump administration to ensure a highly effective federal response to Covid-19,” Clark said in a statement.
What this story reveals boils down essentially to two things. One, even Republicans are starting to realize what a liability Trump is going to before the party in November. And two, Trump has such a tightfisted stranglehold on the GOP that even as they come to the realization that some distance between him and other Republican candidates could be advantageous, they’re too afraid to fully advocate that distance. They know he’s sinking them but they’re terrified to unchain themselves from him.
Original reporting by Alex Isenstadt for Politico.
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occupydemocrats--2020-04-28--CBS reporter claps back at Trump after he says media “viciously gripes” about his virus response

President Trump and his allies have been pushing harder and harder for the economy to re-open and for some semblance of normalcy to return as his re-election chances and the Republican Party ’ s grip on the Senate grow weaker by the day , even though medical experts warn that doing so would provide the coronavirus a chance to return in force .
But it appears that the president ’ s selfish ambitions are more valuable to him than the lives of American citizens , as Tuesday morning saw him once again call for the quick reopening of the American @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ irresponsible decision to resume business operations .
This was all justified by falsely arguing that America ’ s COVID-19 testing program was “ better ” and bigger than any other country in the world and bitterly complaining that the media continues to correctly point out that his self-congratulatory assertions are false .
While he publicly claims “ we ” are doing far more , just yesterday the White House announced a blueprint for a new testing plan that largely shunts responsibility for the programs on to state governments and puts the federal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ resort.
” It is a transparent attempt to absolve the president of the blame for the distressingly inadequate COVID-19 testing being performed in the United States at the very same time that he publicly tries to hoard all the credit for the little testing that is being done .
Add your name to reject Trump & Republicans ’ vile idea of sacrificing seniors ’ lives to save the stock market !
To that end , the Trump team has been aggressively misrepresenting the importance of individual test numbers in hopes that simply shouting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( an ironic callback to how Trump deals with the investors he defrauds ) and drown out the warnings of the pesky doctors .
But the fact of the matter is that nowhere near enough per-capita testing has been done to begin thinking about re-opening the economy — and for that , Trump only has himself to blame .
CBS News reporter Weijia Jiang said what everybody in the media was thinking in a quote-tweet of the President ’ s outburst , framed with a simple question : Where are the tests you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump ?
If the past few weeks are anything to judge by , we will never get an answer to that question — only more lies and complaints .
Perhaps it ’ s best that testing is being left to the states , because the Trump administration clearly has little interest in doing any .
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President Trump and his allies have been pushing harder and harder for the economy to re-open and for some semblance of normalcy to return as his re-election chances and the Republican Party’s grip on the Senate grow weaker by the day, even though medical experts warn that doing so would provide the coronavirus a chance to return in force.
But it appears that the president’s selfish ambitions are more valuable to him than the lives of American citizens, as Tuesday morning saw him once again call for the quick reopening of the American economy and praised the Governor of Texas’ irresponsible decision to resume business operations.
Many States moving to SAFELY & QUICKLY reopen! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 28, 2020
Texas to open businesses in phases beginning Friday. Great job being done by @GregAbbott_TX — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 28, 2020
This was all justified by falsely arguing that America’s COVID-19 testing program was “better” and bigger than any other country in the world and bitterly complaining that the media continues to correctly point out that his self-congratulatory assertions are false.
We are doing far more, and better, Testing than any other country in the world, and yet the media does nothing but complain. No matter how good a job is done, the same as with the Ventilators, they will never say we are doing a great job, they will only viciously gripe! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 28, 2020
While he publicly claims “we” are doing far more, just yesterday the White House announced a blueprint for a new testing plan that largely shunts responsibility for the programs on to state governments and puts the federal government as a “supplier of last resort.”
It is a transparent attempt to absolve the president of the blame for the distressingly inadequate COVID-19 testing being performed in the United States at the very same time that he publicly tries to hoard all the credit for the little testing that is being done.
Add your name to reject Trump & Republicans’ vile idea of sacrificing seniors’ lives to save the stock market!
To that end, the Trump team has been aggressively misrepresenting the importance of individual test numbers in hopes that simply shouting increasingly impressive numbers will reassure worried citizens (an ironic callback to how Trump deals with the investors he defrauds) and drown out the warnings of the pesky doctors.
But the fact of the matter is that nowhere near enough per-capita testing has been done to begin thinking about re-opening the economy — and for that, Trump only has himself to blame.
CBS News reporter Weijia Jiang said what everybody in the media was thinking in a quote-tweet of the President’s outburst, framed with a simple question: Where are the tests you promised us 53 days ago, President Trump?
“Complaining” is not the same as asking why it matters if we are doing more testing than any other country if every American who wants and needs a test still can’t get one. 53 days ago on March 6th, the President claimed they could. It’s fair to keep asking #WhereAreTheTests ? https://t.co/vijQ4eiyfC — Weijia Jiang (@weijia) April 28, 2020
If the past few weeks are anything to judge by, we will never get an answer to that question — only more lies and complaints. Perhaps it’s best that testing is being left to the states, because the Trump administration clearly has little interest in doing any.
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Colin Taylor Opinion columnist and former editor-in-chief of Occupy Democrats. He graduated from Bennington College with a Bachelor's degree in history and political science. He now focuses on advancing the cause of social justice and equality in America. Latest Posts


occupydemocrats--2020-04-29--Trump worries during virus presser that his rallies “wouldn’t look too good” with social distancing

Over a million Americans have now contracted COVID-19 and over 60,000 have died .
The economy is in absolute tatters and most people find themselves locked inside their homes , many unable to work as they watch an interminable slew of bills and living expenses chew through what savings they have .
It is , in just about every sense , a national catastrophe .
This crisis has been rendered even worse by our incompetent leadership .
We have a president who downplayed the threat posed by the novel coronavirus outbreak from the start and who still refuses to take @ @ @ @ @ @ @ turn , is full of sniveling lackeys who refuse to hold him accountable and his party is full of sycophants willing to defend even his idiotic suggestion that injecting disinfectants could help fight the virus .
Today , the human disaster that we refer to as the President of the United States once again met with CEOs and blathered on about the pandemic and once again it proved to be a disturbing medley of blatant lies and befuddling statements .
As usual , his goal was to make himself look good and as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ effect .
Add your name to reject Trump & Republicans ’ vile idea of sacrificing seniors ’ lives to save the stock market !
Trump whined that we “ shouldn ’ t be hearing about testing ” for COVID-19 but that it ’ s getting news coverage because the media has run out of ways to criticize his administration .
He then promised that there will be “ astonishing numbers ” of tests done in the coming weeks before immediately backsliding into downplaying the severity of the pandemic .
“ I don ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s necessary , ” Trump said of the increased testing , ignoring the fact that medical experts overwhelmingly agree that ramping up testing is one of the keys to beating this virus .
The president also erroneously claimed that COVID-19 will simply disappear without a vaccine , echoing his claims during the outset of the pandemic that it would miraculously vanish .
CNN ’ s Daniel Dale reports that Trump at one point said he can “ feel ” that the economy is going to have a “ very good year ” next @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pandemic .
The president compared this magical thinking outcome to his winning the 2016 election .
The obvious difference went unspoken , but his winning was a devastating blow to this country whereas an economic upswing would be an unmitigated good .
Trump also made time to complain about his current inability to hold rallies and said he hopes that changes in the “ not too distant future.
” Making it clear that ultimately he only really cares about PR and stroking his ego , he worried that making people adhere to social @ @ @ @ @ @ @ far apart “ wouldn ’ t look too good.
” As always , this president ’ s priorities are completely warped .
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Over a million Americans have now contracted COVID-19 and over 60,000 have died. The economy is in absolute tatters and most people find themselves locked inside their homes, many unable to work as they watch an interminable slew of bills and living expenses chew through what savings they have. It is, in just about every sense, a national catastrophe.
This crisis has been rendered even worse by our incompetent leadership. We have a president who downplayed the threat posed by the novel coronavirus outbreak from the start and who still refuses to take any responsibility. His administration, in turn, is full of sniveling lackeys who refuse to hold him accountable and his party is full of sycophants willing to defend even his idiotic suggestion that injecting disinfectants could help fight the virus.
Today, the human disaster that we refer to as the President of the United States once again met with CEOs and blathered on about the pandemic and once again it proved to be a disturbing medley of blatant lies and befuddling statements. As usual, his goal was to make himself look good and as usual, he achieved the exact opposite effect.
Add your name to reject Trump & Republicans’ vile idea of sacrificing seniors’ lives to save the stock market!
Trump whined that we “shouldn’t be hearing about testing” for COVID-19 but that it’s getting news coverage because the media has run out of ways to criticize his administration. He then promised that there will be “astonishing numbers” of tests done in the coming weeks before immediately backsliding into downplaying the severity of the pandemic.
“I don’t know that all of that’s necessary,” Trump said of the increased testing, ignoring the fact that medical experts overwhelmingly agree that ramping up testing is one of the keys to beating this virus.
“You shouldn’t be hearing about testing, but that’s the last thing [the media] can complain about I guess … I don’t know that all that [testing] is even necessary” — Trump downplays importance of testing, which he suggests is a luxury (experts say more testing is necessary) pic.twitter.com/2eMSedp4aR — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 29, 2020
The president also erroneously claimed that COVID-19 will simply disappear without a vaccine, echoing his claims during the outset of the pandemic that it would miraculously vanish.
REPORTER: Without a vaccine, why do you think the virus will just be gone? TRUMP: “It’s gonna go. It’s gonna leave. It’s gonna be gone. It’s gonna be eradicated.” pic.twitter.com/WdGkrVaAx7 — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 29, 2020
CNN’s Daniel Dale reports that Trump at one point said he can “feel” that the economy is going to have a “very good year” next year as the country rebounds from the pandemic. The president compared this magical thinking outcome to his winning the 2016 election. The obvious difference went unspoken, but his winning was a devastating blow to this country whereas an economic upswing would be an unmitigated good.
Trump on his economic optimism: "I'm seeing it. I feel it. I've felt a lot of things over the years, including gee I think I can win for president. You know? And frankly I really feel that next year's going to a very good year economically." — Daniel Dale (@ddale8) April 29, 2020
Trump also made time to complain about his current inability to hold rallies and said he hopes that changes in the “not too distant future.” Making it clear that ultimately he only really cares about PR and stroking his ego, he worried that making people adhere to social distancing at rallies and having them sit far apart “wouldn’t look too good.”
As always, this president’s priorities are completely warped.
Trump: "Hopefully in the not too distant future we'll have some massive rallies and people will be sitting next to each other. I can't imagine a rally where you have every 4th seat full, every six seats are empty for every one you have full. That wouldn't look too good." — Daniel Dale (@ddale8) April 29, 2020
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occupydemocrats--2020-04-29--Trump’s AG Barr caught plotting with right-wing shadow groups to force states to re-open

In his memo outlining the Justice Department ’ s concerns over “ balancing public safety with the preservation of civil rights , ” Attorney General Barr stated : Although at the present moment , the Justice Department has only put its muscle behind one court challenge from a Baptist church in Greenville , Mississippi , the memo raises the specter that the Trump administration could side in court with right-wing groups agitating against duly- elected state and local leaders who have put policies in place that medical experts universally say are the only way to prevent an upwardly-spiraling trend of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ led to more than 53,000 deaths .
Ironically , the Republican Party that Trump now leads has traditionally been a staunch supporter of states ’ rights , particularly when it came to enacting restrictions on voter registration , education policies , and other areas where discriminatory factors have called for federal intervention .
Now that the coronavirus crisis has led state officials to put in place rules and restrictions that are affecting the overall economy , and subsequently interfering with the reelection chances of Donald Trump , the party seems willing to completely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ states ’ rights .
“ ’ It would not be the first time that the federal government has tried to undercut states ’ rights by pushing its own agenda , ’ said Anthony Romero , the executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union , which has supported some challenges to coronavirus restrictions but is concerned that the federal government could take its own action against state and local rules , ” The New York Times writes .
The biggest challenges to state and local restrictions on large gatherings of people to prevent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been coming from business leaders and religious organizations that both stand to lose significant revenue from prolonged social isolation policies .
“ At the end of this month , we ’ ll be at 45 days since the president first issued his guidelines .
God only kept Moses on the mountain for 40 days , ” said Tony Perkins , the president of the conservative Christian policy group , the Family Research Council .
“ They ’ re ready to come down.
” The fact that the groups protecting the local restrictions are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ political allies — in an election year , no less — makes even those who typically support constitutional liberties on a non-partisan basis , like the ACLU , worried about the politicization of the process of determining whether public health concerns outweigh individual liberties in the current situation .
“ If D.O.J .
challenges legitimate state orders on the Covid pandemic , Attorney General Barr will never be able to say that he believes in states ’ rights with a straight face , ” the ACLU ’ s Romero said , indicating that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ efforts to reverse decisions made by state ansd local officials .
While the Constitution guarantees every American the right to practice their religion as they see fit , it also sets a strict dividing line between the secular government and the religious world .
With Trump ’ s Justice Department under Attorney General Barr seemingly not only advocating on behalf of religious institutions right to assemble in large numbers over the rights of Americans to stay safe from a deadly virus but also actively consulting with Christian leaders and other conservative allies about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the constitutionally-mandated separation of church and state is being violated in ways it never has been before .
Original reporting by Lisa Lerer and The New York Times .
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In his memo outlining the Justice Department’s concerns over “balancing public safety with the preservation of civil rights,” Attorney General Barr stated:
“We do not want to unduly interfere with the important efforts of state and local officials to protect the public. But the Constitution is not suspended in times of crisis.”
Although at the present moment, the Justice Department has only put its muscle behind one court challenge from a Baptist church in Greenville, Mississippi, the memo raises the specter that the Trump administration could side in court with right-wing groups agitating against duly- elected state and local leaders who have put policies in place that medical experts universally say are the only way to prevent an upwardly-spiraling trend of contagion from a pandemic that has already led to more than 53,000 deaths.
Ironically, the Republican Party that Trump now leads has traditionally been a staunch supporter of states’ rights, particularly when it came to enacting restrictions on voter registration, education policies, and other areas where discriminatory factors have called for federal intervention.
Now that the coronavirus crisis has led state officials to put in place rules and restrictions that are affecting the overall economy, and subsequently interfering with the reelection chances of Donald Trump, the party seems willing to completely reverse course on issues of federalism and states’ rights.
“’It would not be the first time that the federal government has tried to undercut states’ rights by pushing its own agenda,’ said Anthony Romero, the executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union, which has supported some challenges to coronavirus restrictions but is concerned that the federal government could take its own action against state and local rules,” The New York Times writes.
The biggest challenges to state and local restrictions on large gatherings of people to prevent the spread of the viral disease have been coming from business leaders and religious organizations that both stand to lose significant revenue from prolonged social isolation policies.
“At the end of this month, we’ll be at 45 days since the president first issued his guidelines. God only kept Moses on the mountain for 40 days,” said Tony Perkins, the president of the conservative Christian policy group, the Family Research Council. “They’re ready to come down.”
The fact that the groups protecting the local restrictions are comprised primarily of Donald Trump’s political allies — in an election year, no less — makes even those who typically support constitutional liberties on a non-partisan basis, like the ACLU, worried about the politicization of the process of determining whether public health concerns outweigh individual liberties in the current situation.
“If D.O.J. challenges legitimate state orders on the Covid pandemic, Attorney General Barr will never be able to say that he believes in states’ rights with a straight face,” the ACLU’s Romero said, indicating that his organization may oppose any Justice Department efforts to reverse decisions made by state ansd local officials.
While the Constitution guarantees every American the right to practice their religion as they see fit, it also sets a strict dividing line between the secular government and the religious world.
With Trump’s Justice Department under Attorney General Barr seemingly not only advocating on behalf of religious institutions right to assemble in large numbers over the rights of Americans to stay safe from a deadly virus but also actively consulting with Christian leaders and other conservative allies about strategy, it’s likely that the constitutionally-mandated separation of church and state is being violated in ways it never has been before.
Follow Vinnie Longobardo on Twitter.
Original reporting by Lisa Lerer and The New York Times.
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occupydemocrats--2020-04-29--Trump smears Capitan Crozier as attention-seeking “Hemingway” who had a “bad day”

Meeting at the White House today with Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards ( D ) , Donald Trump gave reporters a chance to ask him a few questions , apparently to give him the opportunity to largely repeat the same themes that he ’ s attempted to make again and again at his regular coronavirus test briefings .
You know by now that Trump thinks that he and his administration are doing a fantastic job in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic .
You also know that the president will take every opportunity to spread blame for the inadequate response to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his team — taking particular aim at China , the World Health Organization , and his predecessor Barack Obama — whether there is any truth whatsoever behind his accusations or not ( as is usually the case . )
Beyond the typical self-aggrandizement , shirking of responsibility , and politically-motivated attacks , Trump ’ s press availability had one notable moment when the president was asked about Captain Brett Crozier — the former commander of the nuclear aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt who was fired after a memo he wrote , pleading for protection @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an on-board COVID-19 outbreak , became public .
Questioned as to whether he wanted to see Crozier reinstated , Trump equivocated .
“ I think he ’ s a very , very good man who had a very bad day and then he wanted to be Ernest Hemingway , you know ?
He starts writing long memos and you can ’ t do that when you ’ re the captain of a ship .
Especially that ship , that ’ s the ulitmate nuclear aircraft carrier , the best in the world , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ decides to become Ernest Hemingway .
You can ’ t do that.
” Trump declared .
“ With that being said , I said , he had a bad day .
We all have bad days , ” the president said .
Trump went on to say that while he wouldn ’ t comment on whether Crozier should be reinstated , he repeated that the captain was a good man who had a bad day while saying the same thing about the former acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly who had told the crew @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ too naïve or too stupid to be a commanding officer ” to the audible gasps of the sailors who admired him for standing up for their safety .
While it looked for a short time that Crozier may be reinstated in his former position , acting Navy Secretary James McPherson today said that he has “ unanswered questions ” about the preliminary investigation into the decision to remove Crozier from his command that “ can only be answered by a deeper review , ” according to Yahoo News .
With Trump apparently @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fierce criticism of Captian Crozier in the past , it looks likes the naval commander ’ s fate is still yet to be determined .
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Meeting at the White House today with Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards (D), Donald Trump gave reporters a chance to ask him a few questions, apparently to give him the opportunity to largely repeat the same themes that he’s attempted to make again and again at his regular coronavirus test briefings.
You know by now that Trump thinks that he and his administration are doing a fantastic job in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.
You also know that the president will take every opportunity to spread blame for the inadequate response to the pandemic anywhere but on himself and his team — taking particular aim at China, the World Health Organization, and his predecessor Barack Obama — whether there is any truth whatsoever behind his accusations or not (as is usually the case.)
Beyond the typical self-aggrandizement, shirking of responsibility, and politically-motivated attacks, Trump’s press availability had one notable moment when the president was asked about Captain Brett Crozier — the former commander of the nuclear aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt who was fired after a memo he wrote, pleading for protection for his ship’s crew amidst an on-board COVID-19 outbreak, became public.
Questioned as to whether he wanted to see Crozier reinstated, Trump equivocated.
“I think he’s a very, very good man who had a very bad day and then he wanted to be Ernest Hemingway, you know? He starts writing long memos and you can’t do that when you’re the captain of a ship. Especially that ship, that’s the ulitmate nuclear aircraft carrier, the best in the world, five thousand crew members, and he decides to become Ernest Hemingway. You can’t do that.” Trump declared. “With that being said, I said, he had a bad day. We all have bad days,” the president said.
Trump went on to say that while he wouldn’t comment on whether Crozier should be reinstated, he repeated that the captain was a good man who had a bad day while saying the same thing about the former acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly who had told the crew of the Theodore Roosevelt that Crozier was “too naïve or too stupid to be a commanding officer” to the audible gasps of the sailors who admired him for standing up for their safety.
“I think they’re both very good men,” Trump said evasively before going on to discuss how the virus spread like wildfire among the crew. “It was a tough environment,’ he concluded
While it looked for a short time that Crozier may be reinstated in his former position, acting Navy Secretary James McPherson today said that he has “unanswered questions” about the preliminary investigation into the decision to remove Crozier from his command that “can only be answered by a deeper review,” according to Yahoo News.
With Trump apparently reluctant to take sides, despite his fierce criticism of Captian Crozier in the past, it looks likes the naval commander’s fate is still yet to be determined.
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occupydemocrats--2020-04-29--Kushner paints dangerously inaccurate virus outlook after praising Trump’s “great success”

The Trump administration ’ s relentless campaign to convince America that the 1 million COVID-19 cases and the 50,000+ deaths are in no way shape or form the fault of the government and that a return to sunshine and normalcy is just around the corner reached North Korean levels of Dear Leader delusion and misinformation this morning .
The president ’ s son-in-law , Jared Kushner , appeared on FOX News today to paint a rosy picture of the pandemic ’ s outlook that bears little resemblance to reality .
He lauded the administration ’ s response to the crisis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ proclaimed that he was “ very confident that we have all the testing we need to start opening the country.
” Going further , Kushner said that “ I think you ’ ll see by June a lot of the country should be back to normal and the hope is that by July the country ’ s really rocking again.
” It ’ s well documented at this point that the administration ’ s initial response to the coronavirus pandemic significantly exacerbated the crisis , and Kushner himself blames a fair portion of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s Gabriel Sherman reports that Jared Kushner and Trump were so busy settling impeachment trial scores that it set back virus response by a staggering six weeks .
During that time , Kushner played a huge role in convincing Trump that the media and Democrats were hyping up the virus in order to hurt Trump politically and that taking any action would hurt the stock market .
So instead of aggressively ramping up COVID-19 testing capabilities and issuing national guidelines for quarantine procedures , Trump and Kushner deliberately slow-walked testing and then @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s testing kits , choosing instead to go with an American-made test that inevitably was delayed by manufacturing issues , lab contamination , and logistical problems .
By the time they finally decided to take things seriously , it was far too late — and despite the Trump team ’ s obsession with misrepresenting the number of tests performed as a barometer of their success , all the experts say we are still nowhere near the level of testing that we need in order to even consider re-opening the economy and resuming @ @ @ @ @ @ @ irresponsible for the Trump team to continue to pretend that we ’ re approaching the beginning of the end , and deeply offensive to watch a spoiled snotling like Jared Kushner spit on the graves of the tens of thousands of dead by patting himself on the back and telling the nation that the White House ’ s virus response has been a “ success .
”

The Trump administration’s relentless campaign to convince America that the 1 million COVID-19 cases and the 50,000+ deaths are in no way shape or form the fault of the government and that a return to sunshine and normalcy is just around the corner reached North Korean levels of Dear Leader delusion and misinformation this morning.
The president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, appeared on FOX News today to paint a rosy picture of the pandemic’s outlook that bears little resemblance to reality. He lauded the administration’s response to the crisis as a “great success” and proclaimed that he was “very confident that we have all the testing we need to start opening the country.”
Going further, Kushner said that “I think you’ll see by June a lot of the country should be back to normal and the hope is that by July the country’s really rocking again.”
"I'm very confident we have all the testing we need to start reopening the country" — Jared Kushner went on Fox & Friends today and claimed states have "excess capacity" for testing (the country right now is not doing even half as much testing as experts think is necessary) pic.twitter.com/SAd2bYOIjb — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 29, 2020
It’s well documented at this point that the administration’s initial response to the coronavirus pandemic significantly exacerbated the crisis, and Kushner himself blames a fair portion of the blame for it.
Vanity Fair’s Gabriel Sherman reports that Jared Kushner and Trump were so busy settling impeachment trial scores that it set back virus response by a staggering six weeks. During that time, Kushner played a huge role in convincing Trump that the media and Democrats were hyping up the virus in order to hurt Trump politically and that taking any action would hurt the stock market.
“The U.S. is now expected to blow past the 60,000 mark around the beginning of May, earlier than the IHME model had projected and with less of the dramatic leveling-off that its forecast had initially baked in.” https://t.co/s1b4PYrmUc — Blake News (@blakehounshell) April 24, 2020
So instead of aggressively ramping up COVID-19 testing capabilities and issuing national guidelines for quarantine procedures, Trump and Kushner deliberately slow-walked testing and then refused to use the World Health Organization’s testing kits, choosing instead to go with an American-made test that inevitably was delayed by manufacturing issues, lab contamination, and logistical problems.
By the time they finally decided to take things seriously, it was far too late — and despite the Trump team’s obsession with misrepresenting the number of tests performed as a barometer of their success, all the experts say we are still nowhere near the level of testing that we need in order to even consider re-opening the economy and resuming business as usual.
It is deeply irresponsible for the Trump team to continue to pretend that we’re approaching the beginning of the end, and deeply offensive to watch a spoiled snotling like Jared Kushner spit on the graves of the tens of thousands of dead by patting himself on the back and telling the nation that the White House’s virus response has been a “success.”
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occupydemocrats--2020-04-29--Trump childishly rips Justin Amash for floating 3rd party presidential run

Representative Justin Amash ( MI ) , a former Republican and frequent critic of Donald Trump , has officially announced a presidential exploratory committee for a third party run .
While not everyone who announces such a political move is newsworthy , Amash is already getting attention due to his past spats with the leader of his former party and the fact that he was the only Republican in the House of Representatives to vote in favor of impeaching Trump .
Amash , who went Independent after leaving the GOP and who is now officially a Libertarian and running as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
One need not be a professional political prognosticator to recognize that Amash—barring some truly shocking electoral force majeure—has no chance of seizing the White House through this particular route .
Some predict his run might help Trump , as he could peel away moderate Republicans who were considering voting for Joe Biden .
Others hope that he could cut into a swath of the GOP that was planning on grudgingly voting for Trump .
Add your name to reject Trump & Republicans ’ vile idea of sacrificing seniors ’ lives to save @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , it ’ s difficult to see Amash ’ s run as anything other than an exercise in vanity but hopefully , it will offer him the chance to hammer Donald Trump for betraying all of the principles the Republican Party has long pretended to care about , from national security to so-called “ family values.
” Trump himself has already taken notice of Amash ’ s announcement .
The president retweeted an article shared by Rick Wilson ( a GOP operative and brutal critic of Trump ) written by Joe Walsh ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Amash ’ s campaign will help Trump win reelection .
The president sarcastically wrote that Amash would make a “ wonderful candidate ” because he is “ way behind in his district and has no chance of maintaining his Congressional seat.
” He slammed Amash for “ almost always ” voting in support of the “ Do Nothing Dems , ” a transparent ploy on the president ’ s part to dissuade Republicans from considering Amash as a conservative alternative to himself .
“ I like him even more than Jill Stein !
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the failed and frankly deranged Green Party 2016 candidate .
Clearly , Trump wants the country to think Amash is of no concern to him , but him taking the time to directly attack his former colleague gives away the game .
On some level , he ’ s worried about Amash .
The childish , toothless tweets also shows he has no real angle of attack on the Congressman beyond petty mockery .
In any case , the two of them can duke it out all they want .
The rest of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ worst president in American history from the White House by voting for Joe Biden .
Click here to donate to his campaign and help take back our country .
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Representative Justin Amash (MI), a former Republican and frequent critic of Donald Trump, has officially announced a presidential exploratory committee for a third party run.
While not everyone who announces such a political move is newsworthy, Amash is already getting attention due to his past spats with the leader of his former party and the fact that he was the only Republican in the House of Representatives to vote in favor of impeaching Trump.
Amash, who went Independent after leaving the GOP and who is now officially a Libertarian and running as such, made the announcement via Twitter.
Today, I launched an exploratory committee to seek the @LPNational’s nomination for president of the United States. Americans are ready for practical approaches based in humility and trust of the people. — Justin Amash (@justinamash) April 29, 2020
One need not be a professional political prognosticator to recognize that Amash—barring some truly shocking electoral force majeure—has no chance of seizing the White House through this particular route. Some predict his run might help Trump, as he could peel away moderate Republicans who were considering voting for Joe Biden. Others hope that he could cut into a swath of the GOP that was planning on grudgingly voting for Trump.
Add your name to reject Trump & Republicans’ vile idea of sacrificing seniors’ lives to save the stock market!
In either case, it’s difficult to see Amash’s run as anything other than an exercise in vanity but hopefully, it will offer him the chance to hammer Donald Trump for betraying all of the principles the Republican Party has long pretended to care about, from national security to so-called “family values.”
Trump himself has already taken notice of Amash’s announcement. The president retweeted an article shared by Rick Wilson (a GOP operative and brutal critic of Trump) written by Joe Walsh (another Trump critic) which asserts that Amash’s campaign will help Trump win reelection.
The president sarcastically wrote that Amash would make a “wonderful candidate” because he is “way behind in his district and has no chance of maintaining his Congressional seat.” He slammed Amash for “almost always” voting in support of the “Do Nothing Dems,” a transparent ploy on the president’s part to dissuade Republicans from considering Amash as a conservative alternative to himself.
“I like him even more than Jill Stein!” Trump ended the tweet, referencing the failed and frankly deranged Green Party 2016 candidate.
Clearly, Trump wants the country to think Amash is of no concern to him, but him taking the time to directly attack his former colleague gives away the game. On some level, he’s worried about Amash. The childish, toothless tweets also shows he has no real angle of attack on the Congressman beyond petty mockery.
In any case, the two of them can duke it out all they want. The rest of us must remain focused on ousting the worst president in American history from the White House by voting for Joe Biden. Click here to donate to his campaign and help take back our country.
No, I think Amash would make a wonderful candidate, especially since he is way behind in his district and has no chance of maintaining his Congressional seat. He almost always votes for the Do Nothing Dems anyway. I like him even more than Jill Stein! https://t.co/V8kutnfvIj — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 29, 2020
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occupydemocrats--2020-04-29--Trump turns 1 million COVID-19 case landmark into brag about his testing program

President Trump ’ s desperate efforts to convince the voting public that our nation ’ s inefficient and inexcusably mismanaged COVID-19 testing program is actually superior to those of the rest of the world continued early on Wednesday morning with a stunning misrepresentation of the truth mixed with preposterous bravado .
Trump appeared to backhandedly brag that the United States reaching one million COVID-19 cases was evidence of a robust and effective testing program and claimed that “ other countries ” were “ way behind , ” and show fewer cases because of it .
It is absolutely stunning to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and neglect that allowed the virus to spread so far in the first place into something else he can undeservedly take credit for .
Add your name to reject Trump & Republicans ’ vile idea of sacrificing seniors ’ lives to save the stock market !
The fact of the matter is that the Trump administration deliberately refused to be more aggressive with testing when the virus first hit because Trump didn ’ t want to have to deal with the political consequences of a pandemic .
He then decided to refuse to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Health Organization was shipping to countries around the world at the end of February , instead choosing to go ahead with an American-made test that inevitably was delayed by manufacturing issues , lab contamination , and logistical problems .
Throughout the entire process , the Trump administration has refused to take the initiative or and responsibility for a widespread testing program , attempting to pawn the job off on the states and sidestep the issue entirely by pushing for early re-opening of the economy .
To that end , the Trump team has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ test numbers in hopes that simply shouting increasingly impressive numbers will be enough to sweep the evidence of his mismanagement under the rug .
But simply comparing the number of tests done is useless , because other countries have different population sizes than the United States .
The per capita testing rate is the real qualifier of how widespread the disease is — and in that regard , Trump ’ s America still earns a failing grade .
It is breathtaking to see the lengths that Donald Trump will go to turn the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deaths of tens of thousands of Americans into something he can package as a brag on Twitter to his gullible fans .
America First indeed — first in the world with COVID-19 cases .

President Trump’s desperate efforts to convince the voting public that our nation’s inefficient and inexcusably mismanaged COVID-19 testing program is actually superior to those of the rest of the world continued early on Wednesday morning with a stunning misrepresentation of the truth mixed with preposterous bravado.
Trump appeared to backhandedly brag that the United States reaching one million COVID-19 cases was evidence of a robust and effective testing program and claimed that “other countries” were “way behind,” and show fewer cases because of it.
The only reason the U.S. has reported one million cases of CoronaVirus is that our Testing is sooo much better than any other country in the World. Other countries are way behind us in Testing, and therefore show far fewer cases! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 29, 2020
It is absolutely stunning to see Trump try to spin the incompetence and neglect that allowed the virus to spread so far in the first place into something else he can undeservedly take credit for.
Add your name to reject Trump & Republicans’ vile idea of sacrificing seniors’ lives to save the stock market!
The fact of the matter is that the Trump administration deliberately refused to be more aggressive with testing when the virus first hit because Trump didn’t want to have to deal with the political consequences of a pandemic.
He then decided to refuse to accept the test kits that the World Health Organization was shipping to countries around the world at the end of February, instead choosing to go ahead with an American-made test that inevitably was delayed by manufacturing issues, lab contamination, and logistical problems.
Throughout the entire process, the Trump administration has refused to take the initiative or and responsibility for a widespread testing program, attempting to pawn the job off on the states and sidestep the issue entirely by pushing for early re-opening of the economy.
To that end, the Trump team has been aggressively misrepresenting the importance of individual test numbers in hopes that simply shouting increasingly impressive numbers will be enough to sweep the evidence of his mismanagement under the rug. But simply comparing the number of tests done is useless, because other countries have different population sizes than the United States.
The per capita testing rate is the real qualifier of how widespread the disease is — and in that regard, Trump’s America still earns a failing grade.
FACT:
US has conducted 16.4 tests per every 1,000 people, below the world average and about the same as *Belarus* Iceland: 136 per 1,000
Bahrain: 71
Italy: 30
Russia: 22
Belarus: 17 https://t.co/Cuj4j5czc5 — Carol Leonnig (@CarolLeonnig) April 29, 2020
It is breathtaking to see the lengths that Donald Trump will go to turn the inexcusable failures that have led to the deaths of tens of thousands of Americans into something he can package as a brag on Twitter to his gullible fans.
America First indeed — first in the world with COVID-19 cases.
Colin Taylor Opinion columnist and former editor-in-chief of Occupy Democrats. He graduated from Bennington College with a Bachelor's degree in history and political science. He now focuses on advancing the cause of social justice and equality in America. Latest Posts


occupydemocrats--2020-04-30--Trump says only blue states need bailouts because red states have more talent and better mentality

President Trump has recently stepped up his criticism of Democratic-run states and has been loudly complaining about the fact that the coronavirus crisis is about to blow enormous holes in their budgets .
During this evening ’ s virus press conference , Trump asserted that only “ Democrat-run ” states are asking for bailouts to prevent the mass layoffs and severe austerity that will occur if the states don ’ t get any relief from the federal government — and had the nerve to wonder if it had to with “ talent ” or a different “ mentality , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were somehow superior to those in blue states .
That notion , of course , is ridiculous , and the fact of the matter is that all kinds of states are facing severe budget shortfalls .
While blue states like New York , Connecticut , and Rhode Island face huge shortfalls due to lack of tax revenue and spending on healthcare supplies , red states like Texas , Oklahoma , Alaska , and Louisiana are facing huge budget shortfalls due to the collapse of the fossil fuel industry and the bottom-barrel price of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ blow a half-trillion-dollar hole in the budgets of America ’ s 50 states .
If the states are not bailed out , the shortfall is likely to trigger crushing austerity , massive job losses , and an abrupt end to critical public services that could push our economy into years of recession or even a great depression to rival the 1929 crash .

President Trump has recently stepped up his criticism of Democratic-run states and has been loudly complaining about the fact that the coronavirus crisis is about to blow enormous holes in their budgets.
During this evening’s virus press conference, Trump asserted that only “Democrat-run” states are asking for bailouts to prevent the mass layoffs and severe austerity that will occur if the states don’t get any relief from the federal government — and had the nerve to wonder if it had to with “talent” or a different “mentality,” implying that the people in red states were somehow superior to those in blue states.
The President believes only democrat run states are asking for a bailout. He goes on to say the Republican states are in strong shape and wonders if that has to do with talent or a different mentality pic.twitter.com/p3AO9rKaa4 — Acyn Torabi (@Acyn) April 30, 2020
That notion, of course, is ridiculous, and the fact of the matter is that all kinds of states are facing severe budget shortfalls. While blue states like New York, Connecticut, and Rhode Island face huge shortfalls due to lack of tax revenue and spending on healthcare supplies, red states like Texas, Oklahoma, Alaska, and Louisiana are facing huge budget shortfalls due to the collapse of the fossil fuel industry and the bottom-barrel price of oil.
Coronavirus threatens $500bn hole in US state budgets – typically excellent piece by @bhgreeley on the huge financial stress on the budgets of US states. On the ground this matters at least as much as anything decided in DC. https://t.co/eQV0xrdmud pic.twitter.com/DQgstOyjMS — Adam Tooze (@adam_tooze) April 22, 2020
The pandemic is projected to blow a half-trillion-dollar hole in the budgets of America’s 50 states. If the states are not bailed out, the shortfall is likely to trigger crushing austerity, massive job losses, and an abrupt end to critical public services that could push our economy into years of recession or even a great depression to rival the 1929 crash.
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occupydemocrats--2020-04-30--Trump-obsessed firedancer who threatened Biden online arrested with knives outside Navy ship

Even when the Oval Office is occupied by a knuckle-dragging ignoramus , the President of the United States wields enormous power every time he speaks .
His words can influence his supporters to do things they might never conceive of doing regularly .
For that reason , Donald Trump must be held accountable for everything he says .
NBC is now reporting a disturbing story that can be laid squarely at the president ’ s feet .
A woman has been arrested in Manhattan after causing a scene outside of the Navy ’ s USNS Comfort medical ship .
She @ @ @ @ @ @ @ knives and objects that could be wielded as weapons and is facing 18 counts of criminal possession of a weapon .
Jessica Prim , the disturbed 37-year-old woman in question , made sure to stream herself on Facebook as she drove to the ship .
Her social media reveals that she is an adherent of the deranged and nonsensical “ QAnon ” conspiracy theory which holds that—among equally crazy beliefs—Donald Trump is secretly a genius who is working around the clock to expose and jail a pedophile ring within the Democratic Party .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Republicans ’ vile idea of sacrificing seniors ’ lives to save the stock market !
Daily News further reports that Prim made threatening comments about former Vice President and presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton .
“ Hillary Clinton and her assistant , Joe Biden and Tony Podesta need to be taken out in the name of Babylon !
I can ’ t be set free without them gone .
Wake me up !
!
!
!
!
” she wrote on Facebook .
When an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ urged her to relax she repeatedly said she was “ so scared.
” “ I was watching the press conferences with Donald Trump on TV .
I felt like he was talking to me , ” she explained to the police .
She also said that she ’ s a fire dancer as well as a costume designer and that she felt like she had to drive to the ship because she “ needed help.
” “ I feel like I ’ m the coronavirus , ” said Prim .
While it ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attention , her behavior is a sobering reminder of the effect the president can have on people .
There are millions and millions of Americans listening to him , some of them just looking for a reason to lash out at society .
Inevitably his aggressive , paranoid rhetoric will have consequences like this .
We want to hear what YOU have to say .
Scroll down and let us know in our NEW comment section !

Even when the Oval Office is occupied by a knuckle-dragging ignoramus, the President of the United States wields enormous power every time he speaks. His words can influence his supporters to do things they might never conceive of doing regularly. For that reason, Donald Trump must be held accountable for everything he says.
NBC is now reporting a disturbing story that can be laid squarely at the president’s feet. A woman has been arrested in Manhattan after causing a scene outside of the Navy’s USNS Comfort medical ship. She brought with her a car packed with knives and objects that could be wielded as weapons and is facing 18 counts of criminal possession of a weapon.
Jessica Prim, the disturbed 37-year-old woman in question, made sure to stream herself on Facebook as she drove to the ship. Her social media reveals that she is an adherent of the deranged and nonsensical “QAnon” conspiracy theory which holds that—among equally crazy beliefs—Donald Trump is secretly a genius who is working around the clock to expose and jail a pedophile ring within the Democratic Party.
Add your name to reject Trump & Republicans’ vile idea of sacrificing seniors’ lives to save the stock market!
Daily News further reports that Prim made threatening comments about former Vice President and presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
“Hillary Clinton and her assistant, Joe Biden and Tony Podesta need to be taken out in the name of Babylon! I can’t be set free without them gone. Wake me up!!!!!” she wrote on Facebook.
When an officer approached Prim’s vehicle and urged her to relax she repeatedly said she was “so scared.”
“I was watching the press conferences with Donald Trump on TV. I felt like he was talking to me,” she explained to the police. She also said that she’s a fire dancer as well as a costume designer and that she felt like she had to drive to the ship because she “needed help.”
“I feel like I’m the coronavirus,” said Prim.
While it’s clear this woman needs serious psychological attention, her behavior is a sobering reminder of the effect the president can have on people. There are millions and millions of Americans listening to him, some of them just looking for a reason to lash out at society. Inevitably his aggressive, paranoid rhetoric will have consequences like this.
"I was watching the press conferences with Donald Trump on TV. I felt like he was talking to me," https://t.co/bQyfPCwj1k — Malcolm Nance (@MalcolmNance) April 30, 2020
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occupydemocrats--2020-04-30--Trump claims Michael Flynn is being “exonerated” and victim of “dirty cops” in Oval Office

During today ’ s White House press conference , President Trump abruptly announced that his disgrace ex-National Security Advisor Michael Flynn was in the process of “ being exonerated ” and then leveled some outrageous claims at the Federal Bureau of Investigation — that they had been trying to “ force ” Flynn to lie to them in order to entrap him .
“ He ’ s in the process of being exonerated .
That [ note ] is total exoneration .
When you read the notes , how could you do anything else ?
” said Trump to reporters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ complain that Flynn was a victim of “ dirty cops : ” “ These were dirty , filthy cops at the top of the FBI , and you know the names better than I do .
And they were dishonest people .
Gen. Flynn is a fine man .
You don ’ t get to where he is by being bad .
The dirty cops came in.
” Newly unsealed FBI documents last night fired a shot of adrenaline into the right-wing conspiracy industry , which immediately shifted from blaming China for COVID-19 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ FBI ’ s efforts to get known criminals to admit to their crimes .
Add your name to reject Trump & Republicans ’ vile idea of sacrificing seniors ’ lives to save the stock market !
The former Trump campaign advisor who briefly held the role of NSA was indicted in February 2019 for lying to FBI agents about his secret communications with Russian diplomats prior to the inauguration of Donald Trump , the discovery of which led to the firing of acting Attorney General Sally Yates and the beginning of the Trump-Russia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ bombshell ” is nothing of the sort — just more meat to feed the President and his fans ’ victim complexes .
Flynn pled guilty to the charges two years ago but still has not been sentenced ; he recently fired his lawyers and attempted to withdraw his “ guilty ” plea , prompting a cancellation of his sentencing hearing .

During today’s White House press conference, President Trump abruptly announced that his disgrace ex-National Security Advisor Michael Flynn was in the process of “being exonerated” and then leveled some outrageous claims at the Federal Bureau of Investigation — that they had been trying to “force” Flynn to lie to them in order to entrap him.
“He’s in the process of being exonerated. That [note] is total exoneration. When you read the notes, how could you do anything else?” said Trump to reporters this morning. He went on to complain that Flynn was a victim of “dirty cops:”
“These were dirty, filthy cops at the top of the FBI, and you know the names better than I do. And they were dishonest people. Gen. Flynn is a fine man. You don’t get to where he is by being bad. The dirty cops came in.”
Trump claims the newly released Michael Flynn documents show that the FBI was "trying to force him to lie." They show no such thing — all they show is that agents deliberated how aggressively to confront Flynn about contacts with Russia that he later lied about. pic.twitter.com/DR23F6WJql — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 30, 2020
Newly unsealed FBI documents last night fired a shot of adrenaline into the right-wing conspiracy industry, which immediately shifted from blaming China for COVID-19 to howling about the impropriety of the FBI’s efforts to get known criminals to admit to their crimes.
Add your name to reject Trump & Republicans’ vile idea of sacrificing seniors’ lives to save the stock market!
The former Trump campaign advisor who briefly held the role of NSA was indicted in February 2019 for lying to FBI agents about his secret communications with Russian diplomats prior to the inauguration of Donald Trump, the discovery of which led to the firing of acting Attorney General Sally Yates and the beginning of the Trump-Russia investigation.
Of course, the latest “bombshell” is nothing of the sort — just more meat to feed the President and his fans’ victim complexes.
Nor do Flynn documents show a “perjury trap,” which is where no legitimate investigative purpose exists for questioning. IG found FBI’s Russia probe was properly predicated. Flynn had told Russia to ignore US sanctions! FBI had legitimate purpose and even duty to ask him about it — Barb McQuade (@BarbMcQuade) April 30, 2020
Flynn documents also do not amount to entrapment, which occurs when someone’s will is overborne by law enforcement, such as when an undercover officer offers you a chance to make so much money you can’t resist, even though you know it’s illegal. That’s not what happened here. — Barb McQuade (@BarbMcQuade) April 30, 2020
So what’s all the fuss about? The documents may give Trump just enough ammunition to smear the FBI and falsely justify a pardon for Flynn. — Barb McQuade (@BarbMcQuade) April 30, 2020
Flynn pled guilty to the charges two years ago but still has not been sentenced; he recently fired his lawyers and attempted to withdraw his “guilty” plea, prompting a cancellation of his sentencing hearing.
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occupydemocrats--2020-04-30--Acosta confronts Trump for claiming Obama left behind “broken” COVID-19 tests

Donald Trump will ultimately go down in history as the president who botched the government ’ s coronavirus response and now it looks like he ’ s slowly starting to realize it .
The president started out by downplaying the risks of the virus outbreak , then pivoted to attacking the governors , then to insisting that he actually did a great job , and now it seems he ’ s landed on his inevitable “ blame Obama ” phase .
Speaking in the Oval Office today , Trump ludicrously tried to dish blame for the novel coronavirus outbreak on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ inherited “ bad , broken tests and obsolete tests ” from his predecessor .
The pathetic lie makes absolutely no sense of course since there were no COVID-19 tests during the Obama years because they didn ’ t exist yet .
The “ 19 ” in “ COVID-19 ” stands for 2019 .
Obama left office in 2017 .
Add your name to reject Trump & Republicans ’ vile idea of sacrificing seniors ’ lives to save the stock market !
CNN ’ s Jim Acosta pushed the president on his claim , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ the cupboards were bare ” is something that Obama officials would rightly dispute .
“ You say ‘ broken tests.
’ It ’ s a new virus so how could the tests be broken when you needed a new test ?
” asked Acosta .
“ Jim we had broken tests .
We had tests that were obsolete , ” Trump responded , hammering his blatantly mendacious talking point .
The president then pivoted away from the question , bringing up the swine flu ( which has nothing to do with the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had tests that didn ’ t take care of people but here ’ s what ’ s really important : If you take a look at the swine .
H1N1 .
Or as Joe Biden would say N1H1 .
But it ’ s actually wrong , he didn ’ t even know the name .
Okay ?
” Trump said , getting in a swipe at the former Democratic candidate who stands poised to defeat him in November .
“ H1N1 , the swine flu , the Obama administration was a disaster .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ they do and their polls were so negative , so bad .
They did a very poor job .
And they did a poor job on a lot of things , ” Trump went on before pivoting even further away by bringing up more irrelevant points .
“ They did a poor job on our military .
They did a poor job on our ammunition .
When I got here we had no ammunition , ” he said , repeating one of his more bizarre favorite lies .
“ Just like we had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ too .
So I think when you ask : ‘ How did we do ?
’ and I have to say it because the news is so fake and so corrupt , I think we did a spectacular job.
” The entire answer was a performance in dissemblance .
He managed to completely avoid answering Acosta ’ s straightforward question about how Obama could leave behind “ broken ” tests that didn ’ t even exist yet .
As usual , Trump is presuming that his supporters are too stupid to spot his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to hear what YOU have to say .
Scroll down and let us know in our NEW comment section !

Donald Trump will ultimately go down in history as the president who botched the government’s coronavirus response and now it looks like he’s slowly starting to realize it.
The president started out by downplaying the risks of the virus outbreak, then pivoted to attacking the governors, then to insisting that he actually did a great job, and now it seems he’s landed on his inevitable “blame Obama” phase.
Speaking in the Oval Office today, Trump ludicrously tried to dish blame for the novel coronavirus outbreak on the Obama administration by claiming that he inherited “bad, broken tests and obsolete tests” from his predecessor.
The pathetic lie makes absolutely no sense of course since there were no COVID-19 tests during the Obama years because they didn’t exist yet. The “19” in “COVID-19” stands for 2019. Obama left office in 2017.
Add your name to reject Trump & Republicans’ vile idea of sacrificing seniors’ lives to save the stock market!
CNN’s Jim Acosta pushed the president on his claim, saying that Trump’s claim that “the cupboards were bare” is something that Obama officials would rightly dispute.
“You say ‘broken tests.’ It’s a new virus so how could the tests be broken when you needed a new test?” asked Acosta.
“Jim we had broken tests. We had tests that were obsolete,” Trump responded, hammering his blatantly mendacious talking point.
The president then pivoted away from the question, bringing up the swine flu (which has nothing to do with the current COVID-19 nightmare).
“We had tests that didn’t take care of people but here’s what’s really important: If you take a look at the swine. H1N1. Or as Joe Biden would say N1H1. But it’s actually wrong, he didn’t even know the name. Okay?” Trump said, getting in a swipe at the former Democratic candidate who stands poised to defeat him in November.
“H1N1, the swine flu, the Obama administration was a disaster. And they did polling on how did they do and their polls were so negative, so bad. They did a very poor job. And they did a poor job on a lot of things,” Trump went on before pivoting even further away by bringing up more irrelevant points.
“They did a poor job on our military. They did a poor job on our ammunition. When I got here we had no ammunition,” he said, repeating one of his more bizarre favorite lies. “Just like we had no ammunition we had very little medical too. So I think when you ask: ‘How did we do?’ and I have to say it because the news is so fake and so corrupt, I think we did a spectacular job.”
The entire answer was a performance in dissemblance. He managed to completely avoid answering Acosta’s straightforward question about how Obama could leave behind “broken” tests that didn’t even exist yet. As usual, Trump is presuming that his supporters are too stupid to spot his transparent, pathetic lies.
.@Acosta: You say you had “broken tests” from Obama — the coronavirus is a new virus, so how could the tests be broken? TRUMP: “We have broken tests. We had tests that were obsolete. We had tests that didn’t take care of people.” (None of this makes sense.) pic.twitter.com/r7oobJNFU2 — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 30, 2020
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occupydemocrats--2020-04-30--Karen Pence goes on FOX and claims Mike “didn’t know” he was supposed to wear a mask

Vice-President Mike Pence caused a stir yesterday when he visited COVID-19 patients at the Mayo Clinic and refused to wear a safety mask over his mouth .
Clearly obeying orders from Trump — who has publicly announced he won ’ t be wearing a mask either — Pence stood out as the only person in the building who was not wearing a mask , provoking outrage and condemnation from citizens and medical professionals alike .
On Thursday morning , Pence dispatched his wife Karen to FOX News in order to do a little damage control , but she only succeeded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ridiculous excuses that amounted to “ he doesn ’ t have to because he doesn ’ t have the virus ” and “ he didn ’ t know !
” “ That ’ s a great question as our medical experts have told us wearing a mask prevents you from spreading the disease and knowing that he doesn ’ t have COVID-19 , he didn ’ t wear one , ” said Mrs. Pence .
She continued on to say that “ it was actually after he left Mayo Clinic that he found @ @ @ @ @ @ @ asking everyone to wear a mask .
Someone has worked on this whole task force for over two months is not someone who would have done anything to offend anyone or scare anyone .
I ’ m glad that you gave me the opportunity to talk about that.
” These excuses are absolutely ridiculous .
Given that the White House and Pence ’ s own coronavirus task force have issued guidelines recommending people wear masks to avoid the spread of the disease , why wouldn ’ t he take his own advice ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ maybe he should have worn a mask when he was the only person in the room who wasn ’ t wearing a mask ?
Besides , we know Karen ’ s excuses to be false because the Mayo Clinic itself tweeted out that it had informed Pence that wearing a mask was clinic policy before he arrived for his visit .
The tweet was hastily deleted , likely after the VP ’ s office complained , but the internet never forgets .
It is an insult to the intelligence of the American people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ feed us these ridiculous excuses .
It ’ s just another sign that the Trump administration still is not treating this pandemic with the seriousness it deserves .

Vice-President Mike Pence caused a stir yesterday when he visited COVID-19 patients at the Mayo Clinic and refused to wear a safety mask over his mouth. Clearly obeying orders from Trump — who has publicly announced he won’t be wearing a mask either — Pence stood out as the only person in the building who was not wearing a mask, provoking outrage and condemnation from citizens and medical professionals alike.
On Thursday morning, Pence dispatched his wife Karen to FOX News in order to do a little damage control, but she only succeeded in making the situation worse with her ridiculous excuses that amounted to “he doesn’t have to because he doesn’t have the virus” and “he didn’t know!”
Mother clears it all up here: "It was actually after he left Mayo that he found out they had a policy of asking everyone to wear a mask." – Karen Pencepic.twitter.com/2TVPz5WyjU — Holly Figueroa O'Reilly (@AynRandPaulRyan) April 30, 2020
“That’s a great question as our medical experts have told us wearing a mask prevents you from spreading the disease and knowing that he doesn’t have COVID-19, he didn’t wear one,” said Mrs. Pence.
She continued on to say that “it was actually after he left Mayo Clinic that he found out that they had a policy of asking everyone to wear a mask. Someone has worked on this whole task force for over two months is not someone who would have done anything to offend anyone or scare anyone. I’m glad that you gave me the opportunity to talk about that.”
These excuses are absolutely ridiculous. Given that the White House and Pence’s own coronavirus task force have issued guidelines recommending people wear masks to avoid the spread of the disease, why wouldn’t he take his own advice? Wouldn’t it have clicked that maybe he should have worn a mask when he was the only person in the room who wasn’t wearing a mask?
Besides, we know Karen’s excuses to be false because the Mayo Clinic itself tweeted out that it had informed Pence that wearing a mask was clinic policy before he arrived for his visit. The tweet was hastily deleted, likely after the VP’s office complained, but the internet never forgets.
It is an insult to the intelligence of the American people for the Vice-President and his wife to feed us these ridiculous excuses. It’s just another sign that the Trump administration still is not treating this pandemic with the seriousness it deserves.
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