wold meter
America first!
(CNN)Sometime in the next few days, the 100,000th American will succumb to Covid-19 in a pandemic that President Donald Trump once predicted would just "miraculously" disappear.
Yet despite, and perhaps because of, his earlier cavalier attitude, Trump spent the long holiday weekend bemoaning everything but the tragic roll call of death -- while also finding time to claim he got "great reviews" for handling the crisis.
In his most politically significant maneuver, he heaped intense pressure on North Carolina's Democratic governor to permit a normal, crowded Republican National Convention, despite fears such a mass gathering could seed virus hot spots. Trump warned he could pull the huge money-earner out of Charlotte, which was picked to play host in August.
The move came as the President intensified his push for a full reopening of the country and television footage showed packed beaches and boardwalks in some states as Memorial Day crowds fueled fears that social distancing may be breaking down.
https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/26/politics/trump-covid-death-toll/index.html
On social media, he waged a weekend of Twitter wars against his critics, targeting a favorite foil, Barack Obama, after Trump's return to the golf course -- his 266th such trip in office -- sparked calls for him to concentrate more fully on the pandemic.
And he indulged his preoccupations on his tax returns, Hillary Clinton, Fox News, slanders against MSNBC host Joe Scarborough, the Russia investigation, Joe Biden's mental health, former Attorney General Jeff Sessions, mail-in voting in November and highlighted dangerous and unproven Covid-19 therapies promoted on conservative media he has tested himself.
And Tuesday morning, he continued to attack Biden, going after the Obama administration's swine flu response. 12,469 people in the US died from the H1N1 flu in 2009 and 2010, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In between Twitter eruptions, a mask-free Trump solemnly presided over Memorial Day ceremonies at Arlington Cemetery, and tweeted a campaign-style video of himself leading observances.
"For as long as our flag flies in the sky above, the names of these fallen warriors will be woven into its threads," he said in a moving speech at Fort McHenry.
"For as long as we have citizens willing to follow their example, to carry on their burden, to continue their legacy, then America's cause will never fail and American freedom will never, ever die."
Yet the scripted solemnity and unifying patriotism only made Trump's explosion of fury on Twitter seem even more surreal, and underlined how he finds it impossible to avoid thrusting himself into the social media feeds of Americans even for a weekend. Indeed, Trump returned to criticizing North Carolina Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper not long after returning to the White House Monday afternoon. And he retweeted mockery of Biden wearing a face mask on Memorial Day even though his own government recommends the wearing of face coverings to slow the spread of disease.
Still, the experience of recent years shows that Trump's core supporters are not alienated by his wild behavior and actually like his attacks on the media and what they see as liberal establishment figures in Washington. The President has chosen to position himself firmly as the chief cheerleader for opening up the country, a strategy that could bear increasing fruit as frustration with dire economic conditions mounts as long as virus spikes do not get out of control.
America first!
(CNN)Sometime in the next few days, the 100,000th American will succumb to Covid-19 in a pandemic that President Donald Trump once predicted would just "miraculously" disappear.
Yet despite, and perhaps because of, his earlier cavalier attitude, Trump spent the long holiday weekend bemoaning everything but the tragic roll call of death -- while also finding time to claim he got "great reviews" for handling the crisis.
In his most politically significant maneuver, he heaped intense pressure on North Carolina's Democratic governor to permit a normal, crowded Republican National Convention, despite fears such a mass gathering could seed virus hot spots. Trump warned he could pull the huge money-earner out of Charlotte, which was picked to play host in August.
The move came as the President intensified his push for a full reopening of the country and television footage showed packed beaches and boardwalks in some states as Memorial Day crowds fueled fears that social distancing may be breaking down.
https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/26/politics/trump-covid-death-toll/index.html
On social media, he waged a weekend of Twitter wars against his critics, targeting a favorite foil, Barack Obama, after Trump's return to the golf course -- his 266th such trip in office -- sparked calls for him to concentrate more fully on the pandemic.
And he indulged his preoccupations on his tax returns, Hillary Clinton, Fox News, slanders against MSNBC host Joe Scarborough, the Russia investigation, Joe Biden's mental health, former Attorney General Jeff Sessions, mail-in voting in November and highlighted dangerous and unproven Covid-19 therapies promoted on conservative media he has tested himself.
And Tuesday morning, he continued to attack Biden, going after the Obama administration's swine flu response. 12,469 people in the US died from the H1N1 flu in 2009 and 2010, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In between Twitter eruptions, a mask-free Trump solemnly presided over Memorial Day ceremonies at Arlington Cemetery, and tweeted a campaign-style video of himself leading observances.
"For as long as our flag flies in the sky above, the names of these fallen warriors will be woven into its threads," he said in a moving speech at Fort McHenry.
"For as long as we have citizens willing to follow their example, to carry on their burden, to continue their legacy, then America's cause will never fail and American freedom will never, ever die."
Yet the scripted solemnity and unifying patriotism only made Trump's explosion of fury on Twitter seem even more surreal, and underlined how he finds it impossible to avoid thrusting himself into the social media feeds of Americans even for a weekend. Indeed, Trump returned to criticizing North Carolina Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper not long after returning to the White House Monday afternoon. And he retweeted mockery of Biden wearing a face mask on Memorial Day even though his own government recommends the wearing of face coverings to slow the spread of disease.
Still, the experience of recent years shows that Trump's core supporters are not alienated by his wild behavior and actually like his attacks on the media and what they see as liberal establishment figures in Washington. The President has chosen to position himself firmly as the chief cheerleader for opening up the country, a strategy that could bear increasing fruit as frustration with dire economic conditions mounts as long as virus spikes do not get out of control.





