Wednesday, July 29, 2020

Trump's Virus Progress Grade: "Big! Tremendous! Exciting! Encouraging! Significant! Incredible!"

Look of an Arrogant, Snooty, Hubristic Braggart

From Market Watch – their chart above and a short piece about Trump and his hyperbole with this headline:

Donald Trump likes to say we’re making tremendous progress — one look at the chart above tells a different story

Coverage also here from Financial Times with good information.

As Donald Trump sees it, progress in the fight against the coronavirus can be described in several way

Others say “Not nearly enough!” but, hey, that’s clearly not Trump’s style. He prefers the rosy superlatives, even if the circumstances might call for more sobering language.

“Great” strides Trump has trumpeted over the past few months against the mounting death toll from COVID-19 in the United States. If you’ve been paying attention, you won’t be surprised.

For example, recently, the word “superb” seen on the chart was also used, when Rep. Hakeem Jefferies (D-NY) grilled AG Bill Barr over that use of the word to describe Trump’s coronavirus response during House Intelligence Committee hearing (July 28). Barr said: “The president’s response has been superb.”

In recent days, Trump struck a more realistic tone, saying last week he expects the pandemic to “get worse before it gets better.”

He also shifted from months of playing down the virus by endorsing the use of masks to now wearing one himself, but saying in true Trump self-gratification style that wearing one makes look like the “Lone Ranger” or more recently he said: “It’s the patriotic thing to do.”

Alas, the new Trump didn’t seem to last long, considering he retweeted a video claiming masks are of no use, while touting hydroxychloroquine. It was pulled from Facebook, Twitter, and Google for spreading misinformation.

And he cut short questions during his daily virus PR show, then walked away after a reporter pushed him on why he retweeted such nonsense.

Meanwhile, the U.S. tally for confirmed cases of COVID-19 climbed above 4.3 million on Tuesday (July 28), and the death toll now exceeding 150,000. That is after Texas became the fourth state with more than 400,000 cases, joining California, Florida, and the early hot spot New York State.

Financial Times Chart

The U.S. also counted another 1,000 COVID-19 fatalities on Monday (July 27) for a sixth straight day in a row (data aggregated by Johns Hopkins University). 

My 2 cents: As I’ve said many times before, Trump is incorrigible.

He will not change because he cannot change in any way that he talks, acts, lies, or brags about himself and demands those around him fluff his daily – like a spoiled little brat that he was and now still it.

November 3 cannot come soon enough and hope he loses by big margin that no one can dispute – although he certainly will try. He already said the election will be rigged. Perhaps, but if it is, most likely it will by him and those around him.

Thanks for stopping by.

No comments: