Trump is Dangerous to Your Health - Part Two
Paul Sancya/AP
Back in March 25th, I wrote that Trump is dangerous to your health based on his desire to open things up for Easter Sunday. He wanted “packed churches” then and finally backed down when state governors objected. due to public health recommendations. Since then, he has continuously failed as our president in protecting his people with his administration’s incompetence as well as his own stark personality flaws. His poll numbers reflect that and most Americans do not think he has done a good job in marshalling federal resources to combat this pandemic. Once again, his unfavorable numbers outweigh his favorable ones so he decided to change tactics. Instead of trying to be president to us all, he decided to be president to his small, fanatical base. So here we are.
The picture above shows a small group demonstrating in Michigan against the Democratic governor’s lock-down. What we do not see are the large number of cars circling Lansing supporting that demonstration or people jumping out of their cars to join the group above. No social distancing at all and certainly no masks mean those people in the picture are essentially ignoring the lock-down at great risk to themselves or others. Trump tweets “LIBERATE MICHIGAN” the next day which clearly shows his desire for more demonstrators to gather at the capital like the ones above.
To be clear, the first death in the United States due to COVID-19 was on 29 February. As of 29 April, we are at 37,000. In almost seven weeks, we went from zero to thirty seven thousand dead. COVID-19 is deadly, spreads quickly, and has no cure or vaccine. People with the virus can infect others without even knowing they are sick so “hot spots” of COVID-19 can happen with startling suddenness.
Look at the people again. We have some elderly who are at a higher risk and children who are certainly not immune to the virus. There are groups of people close together in the background to include a young man in a wheelchair talking with a mother pushing a stroller. All of them are now at risk of infection. Now take this small crowd and multiply the numbers because Trump tweeted support in an incendiary fashion…”LIBERATE MICHIGAN”. Since he also did the same to other states, these demonstrations will begin to sprout all over the U.S.
They are a clear minority. Recent polling from Gallup show 80% of Americans believe the lock-downs are still necessary to beat the virus. But, this small minority, can spread the virus quickly in a whole new series of “hot spots”. With Trump’s full support, they will gather together without caring about this one critical fact. It only takes one. One infected person, who does not know they carry the virus, can potentially spread the virus (without social distancing) to about five people. Who, in turn, give it to another twenty-five people. Finally, two weeks or so later, people start getting sick with about 10-15% needing hospitalization and a percentage of them dying alone.
All because Trump and his Republican enablers want to get re-elected in November. Trump is dangerous to us all. He cares nothing about us. He will hurt us and even directly cause some to die with his selfish tweets. Stop him in November. Regardless of Republican obstacles to voting that will inevitably occur, do whatever it takes to go and vote him out in November. For he is a danger to us all.
