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"There would be four million testing kits available with a week," said Donald Trump during his March 6 photo-op at Centers for Disease Control & Prevention headquarters in Atlanta. "Anybody that needs a test gets a test."
Not even close. Trump's statement was false then as it is now. And worse for our unmasked cheerleader-in-chief, the Food and Drug Administration determined on May 14 that the Abbott Labs' COVID-19 test kits used by Trump deliver too many false negatives.
The testing kit fiasco is just another sign of the White House's failed leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In true Trumping fashion, the president is now playing the deflection card. During his visit to an Allentown medical supply company, Trump said: "Could be that testing is, frankly overrated. Maybe it is overrated."
When he flops, Trump changes the story to divert attention from his ineptitude. His month ago promise of "beautiful" tests for everyone has been transformed into: "What's so hot about testing?"
That is getting very, very old.
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| Kamala Harris |
As America approaches the 90,000-death toll from COVID-19 mark, the president has begun the process of attacking the body count as "fake news" cooked up by the Deep State and his political opponents to deny his re-election.
Health officials say the death toll is actually far greater than the reported numbers as many of those who died during the initial and chaotic COVID-19 surges were not included in the tally.
The nation holds a debt of gratitude to California Senator Kamala Harris, who took a pre-emptive strike against Trump downplaying COVID-19 death toll.
She wrote a letter on May 15 to federal health officials warning of a misinformation campaign launched by Trump to deflate the numbers of deaths attributed to COVID-19 to inflate his re-election prospects.
Harris noted that Trump used this tactic before in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria, where there was an extreme undercount of the dead to cover up the failed disaster relief effort.
The Senator said it's incumbent on Heath & Human Services Secretary Alex Azar and FEMA administrator Peter Gaynor "to ensure an accurate and transparent death toll and consistent COVID-19 statistics."
Keeping the COVID-19 death toll legit is the honorable way to remember those lost to the pandemic.
Trump, who shamefully compares his presidency to that of Abraham Lincoln, should try to take the words of the Great Emancipator to heart.
At Gettysburg, Lincoln said: "That we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain."
Lincoln acknowledged the heavy toll of the Battle of Gettysburg, despite the fact that the massive loss of lives did not bode well for his re-election in the Civil War-weary North.
Trump will diminish the death toll from the virus to further his own political career. His "America First" slogan has always been "Trump First."
Looking for a ray of sunshine in the COVID-19 blizzard of bad news, Carnival Corp. says only about 38 percent of its customers have requested refunds on cruises.
The Miami-based company, which has laid off staff, reduced hours and slashed salaries, looks "forward to the day, when appropriate, that once again our ships and crew are delighting millions of people at sea and we can be there for the many nations and millions of people who depend on the cruise industry for their livelihood."
That day may be well down the road as America's top infectious disease doctor, Anthony Fauci, warns of more suffering ahead due to the premature reopening of the economy and ousted vaccine official Rick Bright predicts the "darkest winter in modern history."
More stormy seas may be ahead for Carnival president Arnold Donald's plan to "stagger fleet reentry to optimize demand and operating performance over time."
COVID-19 ranks as the most impactful event in the lives of Gen Z (people born after 1997), according to a poll from Morning Consult.
Nearly eight-in-ten (78 percent) put the virus on top of the list as the most impactful event.
That's ahead of 57 percent for mass shootings (Sandy Hook, Parkland, Las Vegas), 56 percent (September 11 terror attacks) and the election of Donald Trump (55 percent).
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