There are a ton a stories about the ineptitude, incompetence and the lack of concern from Trump and the WH, icymi.
NY Times:
He Could Have Seen What Was Coming: Behind Trump’s Failure on the Virus
An examination reveals the president was warned about the potential for a pandemic but that internal divisions, lack of planning and his faith in his own instincts led to a halting response.
WaPo:
As feds play ‘backup,’ states take unorthodox steps to compete in cutthroat global market for coronavirus supplies
As the Trump administration assumes what the president has called a “backup” role in distributing supplies to fight the pandemic, state governments are taking extraordinary — and often unorthodox — steps to compete in an increasingly cutthroat global marketplace.
The point is that as the WH tries to get you to think they were on top of it from the beginning, the reality is getting out there, and the public as of now isn’t buying the WH BS.
NY Times:
Five Takeaways on What Trump Knew as the Virus Spread
An examination by The New York Times reveals that there were warnings from the intelligence community, national security aides and government health officials — even as the president played down the crisis.
Alexandra Petri/WaPo:
Can we all agree to just forget this happened?
American people, your president has a message: Can we all agree to forget this happened?
Except, of course, for the deaths, which he guesses you may not be able to instantly forget. Except for that small detail, it would be much nicer for the country if we could forget that all of this happened. As we have always said after tragedies in this country’s past: Never Remember.
Christopher Devine and Kyle Kopko/LA Times:
Biden’s choice of running mate matters, but not for the reasons you may think
Our research shows running mates matter, above all else, by shaping how voters view the presidential candidate who selects them. Running mates indirectly influence voter choice by changing perceptions of the presidential candidate — which, in turn, changes votes.
Slate:
Here, a ranking of the seven swingiest swing states in order of their current measured swinginess (i.e., how narrow the margin is between Donald Trump and Joe Biden) according to the most recent poll available for them conducted by a pollster with a FiveThirtyEight rating of B-minus or higher. (Yes, this week we actually have standards.) One particular state that’s not in the Trump column, despite its typically favorable attitude toward spray tans and lying about real estate, may surprise you!
Chet Czarniak/USA Today:
Trump's coronavirus briefings are too dangerous for news media to show them live
I changed my mind about showing Trump live after he encouraged Americans to embrace hydroxychloroquine without mentioning any potential downside.
I maintained that opinion in the current climate, even when President Trump would flare up and berate reporters and their questions. Even when he would contradict statements he just made. Even when he would run the briefings as episodic TV and delay getting to the point and relevance of any new information.
It’s the president. He should have an open mic. If you don’t like it, turn the channel or the dial.
But then came Sunday. Watching him live, talking about how Americans should embrace hydroxychloroquine in a way that offered so much hope and no mention of potential downside, I changed my mind.
If not by direct appeal, then certainly by inference, he was putting the presidential stamp on a medication that has not been fully vetted for the intended purpose of the president’s pitch. And broadcasters were dutifully putting that message out as his pitch continued.
Denver Post:
Editorial: Trump is playing a disgusting political game with our lives
It’s far too early to reflect on the performance of Trump’s administration during this crisis, but on this one urgent point — the immediate allocation resources to states — we felt it essential to speak up immediately. We find it hard to believe decisions are being made on such a morally bankrupt basis, but Trump is doing this nation no favors by giving us the impression that politics will drive his administration’s response to a virus that has already killed thousands of Americans and will kill thousands more.
Narrator: It is not ‘far too early’.