Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
Last week, we began learning about what President Donald Trump knew about the coronavirus and when he knew it as Watergate journalist Bob Woodward previewed a new Trump book called “Rage.”
On Feb. 7, Trump apparently told Woodward that COVID-19 is “more deadly than even your strenuous flus.”
“This is deadly stuff,” he added.
Woodward has been justly criticized for not revealing the facts of this interview much earlier, but Woodward isn’t the president of the United States. Trump is.
Well, the president didn’t want to cause a panic, he told Woodward, so he wanted to minimize the virus’ effects.
He then proceeded to tell us the virus was a minor concern and it would go away with hot weather, before he consulted, or rather listened to, the experts.
He discouraged face masks, 6-foot distancing and other proper precautions; recommended ineffective remedies without first researching them; and told us, or retweeted people telling us, that it was all a hoax or that there were factors like alien DNA and sex with demons involved.
He is also working now to prevent his newly appointed lackeys with “public health” titles from telling us the facts on COVID-19 while failing to acknowledge the advice of his most knowledgeable public health employee.
That, of course, is Dr. Anthony Fauci, who since early this year has been dispensing sound advice and real facts about this still-new disease. And what Dr. Fauci does not know about this virus, because no one does at this point, like how long it will take to develop a vaccine, he tells us, “we don’t know.”
Trump insists we’ll have a vaccine before the election.
Even now, the president refuses to wear a mask in public and encourages his worshipful supporters to crowd shoulder-to-shoulder into venues only to reinforce his glorious self-image, which seems to matter much more to Trump than the health of a population of 330 million people.
Well, as of late last week, the CDC reports the nation has chalked up 6,381,013 COVID-19 cases, more than the population of Missouri; and 191,353 deaths, a little more than the population of Mobile, Alabama. The U.S. has recorded 24% of the world COVID cases with only 4% of the world’s population.
In New Mexico there have been 26,563 cases of COVID-19, about the combined population of Gallup and Tucumcari; and 818 deaths from COVID-19, about the combined population of San Jon and Melrose. In Quay County, there have been 69 cases reported and two deaths.
In the meantime, Trump tries to steer us away from his administration’s incompetent, uncaring response to the pandemic by calling it the China virus.
Should we call it the Trump virus, instead? Trump has done more to encourage the virus’ spread by falsely belittling the danger, failing to develop a federally guided response and discouraging the simple common-sense measures to contain the spread.
No, we shouldn’t call it the Trump virus. Blame does nothing to reduce COVID-19.
On the other hand, it might be good to remember Trump’s role when you vote this year.
Steve Hansen writes for Clovis Media Inc. Contact him at: