It’s perversely fitting that the anti-science quack whose imbecilic behavior during the pandemic resulted in an unnecessarily high death toll is now declaring that, if returned to power, he will withdraw all federal funds from public schools that require vaccines.
There’s a lot to unpack in that opening paragraph. The Lancet, a prominent medical journal, concluded in a ’21 report that Trump’s “appalling response” to the pandemic “expedited the spread of Covid” in the United States. As a result, as many as 40 percent of the 470,00 deaths that occurred on his watch could have been avoided, had he acted rationally.
But has Trump learned anything since? Of course not. At a Virginia rally last weekend, he indeed talked about punishing schools that mandate vaccines, a brain fart he first floated in Iowa a year ago.
As this country slowly goose-steps toward a MAGA Restoration, with roughly half the electorate too dumb or oblivious to take notice, Trump’s record on public health would seem to be relevant grist for fresh discussion. I know, the pandemic was so four years ago, ancient history by our standards – Gore Vidal was right when he quipped that U.S.A. stands for “the United States of Amnesia” – but since Trump was once an incumbent, perhaps we should treat him like one by re-inspecting his detestable actions.
And there’s no better time than right now, because last week, we marked the four-year anniversary of America’s first confirmed Covid death. Four years ago this week, the CDC reported 60 confirmed cases. Four years ago this month, the entire nation virtually shut down.
Trump, we now know, was seriously briefed about the impending crisis long before it hit. But here’s what he said publicly on Feb. 26, 2020: “When you have 15 (infected) people, and the 15 within a couple days is going to be down close to zero, that’s a pretty good job we’ve done…This will end. You look at flu season. (Covid) is a little bit different, but in some ways it’s easier…It’s a little like the regular flu.”
But that’s not what he told Bob Woodward in an interview on Feb. 7: “It’s also more deadly than even your strenuous flu…This is deadly stuff.”
Why didn’t he share these early warnings with his fellow citizens so that they could be better prepared? He answered that during an interview with Woodward on March 19: “Really, to be honest with you…I wanted to play it down. I still like playing it down.”
Copyright 2024 Dick Polman, distributed exclusively by Cagle Cartoons newspaper syndicate.