Anger raged through the White House when President Donald Trump found out that Cdvid-19 had seeded itself among his staff. He was “lava level mad.” Trump has complained to advisers that the numbers of deaths reported is too high. Apparently he will begin to blame hospitals for the high numbers. Despite his wanting to spin the numbers to benefit himself politically, the virus is hitting closer to home.
Trump relies on the Secret Service to keep him safe when he goes to rally’s and any public function. The Secret Service with 7,600 employees, provides personal protection for the president, vice president and their families, along with visiting heads of state. Now 11 Secret Service officers have tested positive for Covid-19. 60 Secret Service are now in self quarantine. It is as if they are taking the viral bullet for the POTUS. The assignment locations of the sick Secret Service agents were not identified. For his own part, the POTUS refuses to wear a mask.
Katie Miller Vice President Mike Pence‘s press secretary has tested positive for the virus. She was seen an a photo speaking to reporters not wearing a mask. Mike Pence is maintaining distance from the president. If only we all could do that. White House staff work close together making social distancing impossible. Also when the president announced that the CDC was recommends that people wear face masks, he pointed out that it was voluntary and he would not be wearing a mask. His primary concern is opening up the country and getting the middle class and working class back to work. Being photographed wearing a mask he feels would send the wrong message as he sends people into the work force to face possible infection. He considers Americans expendable warriors in the fight to open up the economy.
Besides Katie Miller, Trumps valet and Ivanka Trump‘s personal assistant contracted the virus. The valet personally has served the president his diet cokes. White house staff is now tested DAILY and any person who gets close to the president is always tested. Katie had been testing negative and then she tested positive. Trump seemed to think this implied that testing is useless but it takes time for a person to become infected. The virus builds up over time inside a person before it can be detected. The virus is easily spread when the person is still asymptomatic.
Dr. Anthony Fauci will begin a modified quarantine since he came in contact with Katie Miller. Dr. Stephen Hahn, the commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration and Dr. Robert Redfield, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However the Vice President whom she serves will not be quarantining himself. Most white house staff are now being asked to wear masks. The POTUS and VP do not.
As the Trump administration urges Americans to return to workplaces and Donald Trump touts a “transition to greatness” (read transition to the after life), the White House is struggling to project business as usual even as Covid-19 cases spread through the halls.
At an outdoor press conference, Trump was asked why the White House staff is able to be tested daily when that is still not available for the American people. He balked at the at how the question was asked, and told the reporter that it’s a catch-22 and the White House would face criticism if senior officials weren’t frequently tested. “You know what, if we didn’t get the test, you’d be up complaining why aren’t you getting tests for the White House?” Trump said. “We can’t win.” Trump followed with, “It is shocking, given the number of people who come in and out of the White House every day, how few positive cases there have been. He added: “I’ve felt no vulnerability whatsoever.”
New York City has stopped the virus in it’s tracks, though several hundred still die every day, by isolating the population. NYC plans to re-open carefully while watching the data. If a recurrence in infections happens the valve will be dialed back.
Trumps rush to open up the rest of the county will result in needless deaths. Many states have not even begun to follow CDC guidelines for a safe recovery. He takes no responsibility leaving all the difficult choices to governors. He is ignoring the science to try and save his political career. What he should be trying to save is the American people. At least 43 states are now partially re-opened while the death toll rises. The CDC issued a comprehensive plan for states to re-open safely but the white house shelved that plan.
When asked by CBS reporter Weijia Jiang “Why he sees Coronavirus testing as a global competition, when more than 80,000 Americans are dead, he had a meltdown saying, “Ask China.” This came across an incredible racist since the reporter came to America when she was two years old from China. He abruptly ended the news conference rather than answer the question. The man is clearly unstable and unhinged. This is our “leader” turning his back on Americans in a time of crisis.
As of yesterday, 80,787 have died in America. The number of daily deaths is NOT slowing. We might be at or near the apex of the mountain but the downward slope will result in as many deaths and the hard climb up. By not social distancing the virus will have new fuel to spread.