Corona virus front
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MENTAL DISORDER OR TREASON?
(CNN)As America became the epicenter of the global coronavirus pandemic, President Donald Trump downplayed the escalating national crisis.
His comments at Thursday's afternoon briefing underscored the growing duality of the fight: While the President is telling a tale of great successes, of a government powerfully mobilizing, front-line health care workers are facing gruesome scenes in hospitals in a growing number of hot spots.
Later, ignoring traditional codes of the presidency at a time of trial, the President lashed out in a TV interview at Democratic governors channeling appeals from overwhelmed health care workers in their home states as Covid-19 exacts an increasing toll.
And he appeared set on contradicting the advice of one of his top task force members, Dr. Anthony Fauci, who told CNN that only the virus can set the timeline for reopening the country.
All the evidence of the virus's advance, seen in rising death tolls and infection figures, suggests the situation is getting worse and that normal life could be weeks or months away. Once, Trump minimized the looming impact of the crisis. Now his assessments conflict with the reality of its deadly march.
On Thursday, a day that saw more reported deaths from Covid-19 than ever before in the United States -- Trump bizarrely turned the focus to what he said was a far lower mortality rate than he had expected.
A week ago, there were a total of 8,800 confirmed infections in the United States and 149 deaths. On Thursday, that figure reached more than 82,000 with nearly 1,200 deaths.
But Trump sought to minimize the lethality of the virus.
"A lot of good things are happening. The mortality rate is, in my opinion ... way, way down," the President said. "That takes a lot of fear out. It's one thing to have it. It's another thing to die. When I first got involved, I was told numbers much higher than the number that seems to be."
The President's comments, on a day when more than 200 Americans were reported to have died, risked coming across as callous.
"We have to get back to work. Our people want to work. They want to go back. They have to go back. And we're going to be talking about dates. We're going to be talking with a lot of great professionals," Trump told reporters.
"This is a country that was built on getting it done, and our people want to go back to work. I'm hearing -- I'm hearing it loud and clear from everybody."
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In this situation, common Americans can't help asking a question, if it's a mental disorder of an old guy or it's a planned treason?
Natalija Savelieva.
MENTAL DISORDER OR TREASON?
(CNN)As America became the epicenter of the global coronavirus pandemic, President Donald Trump downplayed the escalating national crisis.
His comments at Thursday's afternoon briefing underscored the growing duality of the fight: While the President is telling a tale of great successes, of a government powerfully mobilizing, front-line health care workers are facing gruesome scenes in hospitals in a growing number of hot spots.
Later, ignoring traditional codes of the presidency at a time of trial, the President lashed out in a TV interview at Democratic governors channeling appeals from overwhelmed health care workers in their home states as Covid-19 exacts an increasing toll.
And he appeared set on contradicting the advice of one of his top task force members, Dr. Anthony Fauci, who told CNN that only the virus can set the timeline for reopening the country.
All the evidence of the virus's advance, seen in rising death tolls and infection figures, suggests the situation is getting worse and that normal life could be weeks or months away. Once, Trump minimized the looming impact of the crisis. Now his assessments conflict with the reality of its deadly march.
On Thursday, a day that saw more reported deaths from Covid-19 than ever before in the United States -- Trump bizarrely turned the focus to what he said was a far lower mortality rate than he had expected.
A week ago, there were a total of 8,800 confirmed infections in the United States and 149 deaths. On Thursday, that figure reached more than 82,000 with nearly 1,200 deaths.
But Trump sought to minimize the lethality of the virus.
"A lot of good things are happening. The mortality rate is, in my opinion ... way, way down," the President said. "That takes a lot of fear out. It's one thing to have it. It's another thing to die. When I first got involved, I was told numbers much higher than the number that seems to be."
The President's comments, on a day when more than 200 Americans were reported to have died, risked coming across as callous.
"We have to get back to work. Our people want to work. They want to go back. They have to go back. And we're going to be talking about dates. We're going to be talking with a lot of great professionals," Trump told reporters.
"This is a country that was built on getting it done, and our people want to go back to work. I'm hearing -- I'm hearing it loud and clear from everybody."
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In this situation, common Americans can't help asking a question, if it's a mental disorder of an old guy or it's a planned treason?
Natalija Savelieva.