Politics
The Tapes Show Trump Knew About Covid-19 and Did Not Care
Our President downplayed the virus and put us all at risk
The President of the United States knew the virus was killing Americans. Trump knew and did not care. Trump sat for 18 interviews with legendary Watergate journalist Bob Woodward. Woodward recorded the conversations in preparation for his forthcoming book, Rage.
Previews from the book released today show Trump was well-informed of the severe impact Covid-19 would have on the American public. The Woodward tapes show the Trumpian nihilistic narcissism in his own words in audio records released on the Washington Post website.
Covid-19 has stolen almost 200,000 lives, including 1000 healthcare workers. We are six months into the pandemic and still do not have a national strategy to fight coronavirus.
Many of us felt Trump was merely incompetent, but the tapes show us something different.
The tapes display a deliberate coverup. Trump knowingly misled the public and concealed the truth to downplay the risk. These direct quotes prevent him from falling back on his #fakenews crutch.
Trump's words are on full display for the entire world to hear.
This bombshell reporting is so disturbing because it confirms what we already suspected. Trump’s actions are not the result of incompetence but rather of malice.
In January, the president was informed by national security advisor Robert O’Brien, “This will be the biggest national security threat you face in your presidency.”
Trump understood the warning. In early February, long before the public was aware of the looming disaster, Trump told Woodward, “the coronavirus is five times more deadly than the flu” and “this is deadly stuff.”
Knowing the virus was coming, Trump did not organize a national plan to stave off the pandemic. He did not create national standards for testing or contact tracing. He did not shore up the national stockpile, activate the defense production act, or implement nationwide mitigation guidelines for masks or social distancing.
Instead, Trump reasoned, “I still like playing it down, because I don’t want to create a panic.”
Calming the store is different than withholding the truth.
In the pandemic’s initial phase, public health experts released guidance indicating only the sick should wear a mask. As scientists learned more about coronavirus, the recommendation changed. Medical personal were instructed to wear a mask, and others were encouraged to use a cloth, reusable face cover.
But the Woodward tapes show Trump already knew the virus was airborne. Trump told the reporter, “It goes through the air. That’s always tougher than the touch. You don’t have to touch things. Right? But the air, you just breathe the air and that’s how it’s passed. And so that’s a very tricky one. That’s a very delicate one. It’s also more deadly than even your strenuous flu.”
Each evening, the public watched the White House Coronavirus Task Force press conferences where he told the public things like, “this virus will go away even without a vaccine.”
At the same time, Trump told Woodward, “It’s so easily transmissible you wouldn’t even believe it.”
Trump was lamenting the dangers of Covid-19 to a reporter. At the same time, he reassured us on national television the virus would “go away like a miracle” and “magically disappear.”
He informed us scientists were studying the therapeutic effects of bright, shiny lights.
“So, supposing we hit the body with a tremendous — whether it’s ultraviolet or just very powerful light…supposing you brought the light inside of the body, which you can do either through the skin or in some other way. And I think you said you’re going to test that too. Sounds interesting.”
Trump told the public, “Young people are almost immune.” But he told Woodward, “Just today and yesterday, some startling facts came out. It’s not just old, older. Young people too, plenty of young people.”
Trump expressed his fear of the viral effects to Woodward but told us “then I see the disinfectant where it knocks it out in a minute. One minute. And is there a way we can do something like that, by injection inside or almost a cleaning?”
An effective leader would put the scientist in charge and let science lead the way. Instead, public health experts spent valuable time and energy trying to repair the damage Trump created by recommending drinking bleach, ingesting oleander leaf, and recommending disproven hydroxychloroquine.
Trump did not rely on scientists. He sidelined them. We rarely hear from the world-renowned epidemiologist, Dr. Antony Fauci. In fact, Trump waited until Dr. Fauci was under general anesthesia for a vocal cord polyp removal to announce the easing of CDC Covid-19 testing requirements.
Dr. Fauci relayed to Woodward that the White House leadership was “rudderless.” He described Trump’s attention span “is like a minus number.”
Trump knew how deadly the virus was when he told Woodward, “it's a horrible thing. It's unbelievable.”
What is hard to believe is the President of the United States admitted on tape he knew the virus was airborne in February. He knew Covid-19 was deadlier than the flu and played down the risk.
Our President had all the information he needed to activate a plan to save lives. Instead, he misled the public and downplayed the risk.
He did not accept responsibility. He stated, “The virus has nothing to do with me. It’s not my fault.”
As of today, 189,699 Americans have died from Covid-19.
It did not have to be this way.
