Nothing says selfless generosity like holding up the checks people desperately need for food and shelter in order to attach your personal signature to them. But apparently putting his name on pandemic relief checks that were paid for by American taxpayers wasn't deplorable enough for Donald Trump. (But wait, there's more!)
Now Trump will also be sending a letter to American taxpayers declaring that he "proudly signed" the checks for which they are footing the bill. (Of course, you realize, Trump thinks that's his money and not ours. He doesn't actually get that he's just a steward of the financial resources that taxpayers amass and will eventually be on the hook for.)
“I am pleased to notify you that as provided by the CARES Act, you are receiving an Economic Impact Payment of $1,200.00 by Direct Deposit,” Trump writes in the letter, according to TPM. “We hope this payment provides meaningful support to you during this period.”
People who receive a physical check will also receive the letter, but the main problem for Trump was the notion that direct deposit recipients might not give him proper credit for all the “incredible” work he's been doing during the pandemic. Frankly, occupying Trump by making him physically sign letters all day might be the absolute best of use of his time if it keeps him from telling people to ingest bleach and any other deadly advice he might serve up.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, however, wants to block Trump from pulling the PR stunt of affixing his signature to any future pandemic relief. Schumer plans to introduce a bill called the No PR Act.
“President Trump unfortunately appears to see the pandemic as just another opportunity to promote his own political interests,” the New York Democrat said in a statement. “The No PR Act puts an end to the president’s exploitation of taxpayer money for promotional material that only benefits his reelection campaign.”
Not to mention the fact that taxpayers won't be deprived of badly needed relief for weeks on end just so Trump can perpetuate the fantasy that he's actually doing anything during this crisis besides binge-watching cable news, sending out a few tweets, and promoting deadly “miracle cures” in his spare time.