Trump: Stoking Unrest to Save His Own Skin

Last week, the Trump administration announced a new plan to gradually open up the nation, reacting to pressure on the economy with a phased approach to opening parts of the country where the coronavirus is being brought under control. Trump told the governors it was up to them to decide what to do and when, a step that would let him off the hook if the virus resurfaces and more people die as a result. On the day he announced the plan, 5.2 million more Americans applied for unemployment benefits, bringing the four-week total to 22 million – the worst stretch of job losses in U.S. history. Meanwhile, numerous governors and business leaders have warned that more testing and protective gear are needed before they can start lifting lockdowns and other restrictions. And the number of cases and deaths keep mounting. As of Noon today, Sunday, April 19, there were 742,637 cases in the U.S. with 39,201 deaths. President Trump, of course, found a way to continue shifting the blame…saying that China’s death toll is vastly underreported and that he guaranteed more people have died there than in the U.S. – they just aren’t telling the truth. And, while his own administration has been warning that caution is still required or people will die, Trump has been pandering to those who are rebelling against stay-at-home restrictions and demonstrating to open things up. When I saw a photo of one such demonstrator carrying a sign with a huge swastika and the names “Trump” and “Pence”, I had to write about that on my Not Fake News blog. Here’s what I said….