Trump is guilty of misrepresenting the truth, within 24 hours he tries to fool people by saying he was being sarcastic to the media when saying people could take disinfectant into the lungs, when, clearly and obviously he was not. He appeared earnestly serious, trying to be ‘the man’ who ‘found the cure’ by suggesting something which seemed logical to him in the moment and asking his medical experts if this could be a feasible cure. That he did this was not the issue, that he did this in a press briefing designed by his deputy to inform the public, and taken over by him for obvious reasons of continuous exposure is utterly beyond contempt. That he then recommended to his willing faithful that they should take hydroxychloroquine – ‘just take it – what do you have to lose’ and more recently light and disinfectant to the lungs, or injected into the bloodstream not only reveals his rampant desire to be ‘the one’ who found a cure, the miracle man – but a complete ignorance on the role of the press. He then plainly and obviously lied about it – saying he was being sarcastic. For what exact purpose? To elevate him above the evil media who criticise him? To assuage his aching ego?
His personal measure of success, the stock market, has betrayed him and with any luck destroyed his electoral chance as people start to really feel the bite in November. ‘Winter is coming’ and death stalks the dishonest dealer.
And then the UK, representing their Covid-19 deaths statistic by only counting those that occurred in hospitals and the total count only tests conducted in hospitals, ignoring the more horrific measure of grief, people who died in their own homes and the sad horror of the convenient reduction in the care-home population being left out of daily media reports.
Well, here it is – as we pass by the grim 20,000 death ‘threshold’, the FT has published a ‘conservative estimate’ of 41,000 total deaths, making the UK and the USA the two countries that have badly mismanaged the outbreak – the very worst in the world – and by a grim and significant margin. And the worst of this is yet to come.
Both countries reduced the message and allowed the pride of its population to attend events in March or congregate in ‘freedom’ protests encouraged by President Trump in April, while other badly hit EU countries are starting to recover, the UK and the USA are relealing an accelerating infection and consequential death rate, and can not even be honest about their numbers. Because they are so terrible they do not really even know. Because the Executive branch of the USA government is dysfunctional, and the UK Government is run by dishonest and rather useless ministers.
Boris Johnson and Trump have carved their places in the very flesh of history. They will be remembered, certainly.