Donald Trump's closing argument to the American people has come down to this: Yes, you can run, but you cannot hide. Far from viewing his No. 1 duty as protecting the citizenry, Trump appears convinced his real responsibility is making people fearful enough to surrender to him by any means possible. And for him, "any means" includes simply taking people out.
So even as Trump has stormed through COVID-19 hotspots to maximize his superspreader capabilities, he has also left nothing to the imagination in terms of the myriad ways he will be coming for people, whether they support him or not. Below is a brief list of Trump’s recent initiatives promising to put Americans in harm’s way.
Firing Fauci: Dr. Anthony Fauci, one of the nation’s foremost and most trusted infectious disease experts, is now on the chopping block. But Fauci isn’t alone, Trump’s purge of anyone who knows anything about matters of life and death ranging from climate change to foreign policy to pandemics began long ago. Threatening to fire Fauci in the middle of a surging pandemic just happens to perfectly crystalize Trump’s steadfast commitment to terrorizing the public.
Running Biden supporters off the damn road: Sorry, but if you’re not a Trump cultist, you have no right to safety and also investigations await you. After a caravan of Trump supporters in Texas tried to run a Biden campaign bus off the highway and the FBI opened a query into the incident, Trump tweeted his approval of the anti-Biden road ragers. “In my opinion, these patriots did nothing wrong,” Trump said in the tweet. “Instead, the FBI & Justice should be investigating the terrorists, anarchists, and agitators of ANTIFA."
Stranding rally goers in near-freezing temps: Once is never enough when it comes to giving your cultists a Survivor-esque adventure following a Trump worship service. So after deserting his supporters in Nebraska and then again in Pennsylvania, Trump pulled a hat trick in Georgia Sunday. If the coronavirus doesn’t get you, the hypothermia might.
Sending armed terrorists to the streets: When the system of checks and balances gets Trump down, there’s always the option of putting matters into the hands of armed pro-Trump terrorists. After the Supreme Court ruled Monday that Pennsylvania could have more time to count mail-in ballots postmarked by Election Day, Trump called the decision “VERY dangerous” and said it would “undermine our entire systems of laws,” leading to “violence in the streets.” He added, “Something must be done.” Gee, what and by whom? It’s unclear, but if you’re not armed to the teeth and dressed in Americana camo, you’re probably toast.
Firing all the top officials hired to protect us: Trump reportedly has big post-election plans for many of the people he put in charge of keeping the country safe—FBI Director Chris Wray, CIA Director Gina Haspel, and Defense Secretary Mark Esper are all in the offing. Heck, even Attorney General Bill Barr is in for the Jeff Sessions treatment after failing to deliver the October surprises Trump had been dreaming of. These people are all of varying degrees of competence and integrity, but they have nonetheless been charged with the duty of keeping Americans safe. Now, however, we are told that they are apparently all talentless schmucks who must be replaced. And whomever Trump axes, we can likewise be certain they will be replaced with someone even less competent and capable of protecting the homeland, as it were. But that’s not the point, is it? Trump’s loyalty tests are all that really matter even if they render the country a sitting duck.