Keeping the support of his evangelical followers is more important to Trump than keeping them safe and healthy. Why else would he be suggesting Christians consider attending Easter Sunday services? Despite the claim he makes about deferring to the medical experts, he continues to encourage Americans to act in opposition to the pandemic task force guidelines.
It would not be a surprise if Trump decided to fire Dr. Fauci from his position of leader of the task force fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Fauci’s warnings have resulted in the extreme U.S. policy on social distancing and the stay-at-home mandate. There is no doubt that Trump blames Fauci for the decline of the economy. His concern about the effect of the crashing economy on his re-election might be behind his defying Fauci’s position on maintaining stay-at-home policy despite the approaching Easter holiday.
At the briefings, Trump parrots the words of the experts, looking as if he doesn’t believe a word of what he is saying. After months of downplaying and lying about the imminent threat of the coronavirus appearance in the U.S., Trump has been forced to support the recommendations of Dr. Fauci because masses of people are infected and dying. However, the coming of Easter is pulling at Trump’s hunger to hold onto power. His fear of losing the support of evangelical Christian voters is causing his reckless support of them to attend church on Easter.
Since becoming president, many of Trump’s policies have put people’s lives at risk physically, financially, or emotionally. His immigration policies at the border have put families in cages and inflicted damage to their physical and mental health. Asylum seekers facing imminent danger in their countries have been told to stay home. He is currently fighting in the courts to abolish the Affordable Care Act which would result in millions of people losing their healthcare. By securing tax cuts for the rich, he has left the lower and middle class hoping, with no guarantee, for a trickling of that revenue into their pockets. Before he began spouting embarrassing bromance comments toward Kim Jong Un, he was calling this dangerous dictator and a threat to world peace fat, short and rocket man.
His judgment on policy regarding pandemic awareness and preparedness has been incompetent and reckless. By dismantling the office of the global health awareness office, he left Americans vulnerable to the wrath of COVID-19. By spreading misinformation about the threat the coronavirus presents, people went about their lives as usual in February and March unknowingly the virus to rapidly spread.
He is now clumsily scrambling to deflect attention from the proof he ignored the warnings he received from health experts on the probability of the impending pandemic. He was disinterested in being informed on the public health threats happening in other countries. His America First rhetoric has proven his ignorance of the importance of global connectedness. His stupidity has cost lives. His arrogance and narcissism have rendered him incapable of taking the lead in developing effective strategies to manage and resolve the COVID-19 crisis. Americans are grateful for Dr. Toni Fauci’s expertise and leadership and for circumventing the dangerousness of Trump’s judgment and rhetoric.
