Bob Woodward book 'Rage:' Trump admits to concealing true threat of coronavirus - CNNPolitics
Category: News & Politics
Via: john-russell • 4 years ago • 180 commentsBy: Jamie Gangel, Jeremy Herb and Elizabeth Stuart (CNN)
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Washington (CNN)President Donald Trump admitted he knew weeks before the first confirmed US coronavirus death that the virus was dangerous, airborne, highly contagious and "more deadly than even your strenuous flus," and that he repeatedly played it down publicly, according to legendary journalist Bob Woodward in his new book "Rage."
"This is deadly stuff," Trump told Woodward on February 7. In a series of interviews with Woodward, Trump revealed that he had a surprising level of detail about the threat of the virus earlier than previously known. "Pretty amazing," Trump told Woodward, adding that the coronavirus was maybe five times "more deadly" than the flu. Read More Trump's admissions are in stark contrast to his frequent public comments at the time insisting that the virus was "going to disappear" and "all work out fine." The book, using Trump's own words, depicts a President who has betrayed the public trust and the most fundamental responsibilities of his office. In "Rage," Trump says the job of a president is "to keep our country safe." But in early February, Trump told Woodward he knew how deadly the virus was, and in March, admitted he kept that knowledge hidden from the public. "I wanted to always play it down," Trump told Woodward on March 19, even as he had declared a national emergency over the virus days earlier. "I still like playing it down, because I don't want to create a panic."
If instead of playing down what he knew, Trump had acted decisively in early February with a strict shutdown and a consistent message to wear masks, social distance and wash hands, experts believe that thousands of American lives could have been saved. The startling revelations in "Rage," which CNN obtained ahead of its September 15 release, were made during 18 wide-ranging interviews Trump gave Woodward from December 5, 2019 to July 21, 2020. The interviews were recorded by Woodward with Trump's permission, and CNN has obtained copies of some of the audio tapes.
"Rage" also includes brutal assessments of Trump's presidency from many of his former top national security officials, including former Defense Secretary James Mattis, former Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats and former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. Mattis is quoted as calling Trump "dangerous" and "unfit" to be commander in chief. Woodward writes that Coats "continued to harbor the secret belief, one that had grown rather than lessened, although unsupported by intelligence proof, that Putin had something on Trump." Woodward continues, writing that Coats felt, "How else to explain the president's behavior? Coats could see no other explanation." In this White House photo from December 2019 provided by Bob Woodward, President Donald Trump is seen speaking to Woodward in the Oval Office, surrounded by some aides and advisers, as well as Vice President Mike Pence. On Trump's desk is a large picture of Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The book also contains harsh evaluations of the President's leadership on the virus from current officials. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the administration's top infectious disease expert, is quoted telling others Trump's leadership was "rudderless" and that his "attention span is like a minus number." "His sole purpose is to get reelected," Fauci told an associate, according to Woodward.
'The virus has nothing to do with me'
Woodward reveals new details on the early warnings Trump received -- and often ignored. In a January 28 top secret intelligence briefing, national security adviser Robert O'Brien gave Trump a "jarring" warning about the virus, telling the President it would be the "biggest national security threat" of his presidency. Trump's head "popped up," Woodward writes. O'Brien's deputy, Matt Pottinger, concurred, telling Trump it could be as bad as the influenza pandemic of 1918, which killed an estimated 50 million people worldwide, including 675,000 Americans. Pottinger warned Trump that asymptomatic spread was occurring in China: He had been told 50% of those infected showed no symptoms. At that time, there were fewer than a dozen reported coronavirus cases in the US. Three days later, Trump announced restrictions on travel from China, a move suggested by his national security team -- despite Trump's later claims that he alone backed the travel limitations. Nevertheless, Trump continued to publicly downplay the danger of the virus.
February was a lost month. Woodward views this as a damning missed opportunity for Trump to reset "the leadership clock" after he was told this was a "once-in-a-lifetime health emergency." "Presidents are the executive branch. There was a duty to warn. To listen, to plan, and to take care," Woodward writes. But in the days following the January 28 briefing, Trump used high-profile appearances to minimize the threat and, Woodward writes, "to reassure the public they faced little risk." During a pre-Super Bowl interview on Fox News February 2, Trump said, "We pretty much shut it down coming in from China." Two days later during his State of the Union address, Trump made only a passing reference to the virus, promising, "my administration will take all necessary steps to safeguard our citizens from this threat." Asked by Woodward in May if he remembered O'Brien's January 28 warning that the virus would be the biggest national security threat of his presidency, Trump equivocated. "No, I don't." Trump said. "I'm sure if he said it — you know, I'm sure he said it. Nice guy." The book highlights how the President took all of the credit and none of the responsibility for his actions related to the pandemic, which has infected 6 million Americans and killed more than 185,000 in the US. "The virus has nothing to do with me," Trump told Woodward in their final interview in July. "It's not my fault. It's — China let the damn virus out."
'It goes through the air'
When Woodward spoke to Trump on February 7, two days after he was acquitted on impeachment charges by the Senate, Woodward expected a lengthy conversation about the trial. He was surprised, however, by the President's focus on the virus. At the same time that Trump and his public health officials were saying the virus was "low risk," Trump divulged to Woodward that the night before he'd spoken to Chinese President Xi Jinping about the virus. Woodward quotes Trump as saying, "We've got a little bit of an interesting setback with the virus going in China." "It goes through the air," Trump said. "That's always tougher than the touch. You don't have to touch things. Right? But the air, you just breathe the air and that's how it's passed. And so that's a very tricky one. That's a very delicate one. It's also more deadly than even your strenuous flus." But Trump spent most of the next month saying that the virus was "very much under control" and that cases in the US would "disappear." Trump said on his trip to India on February 25 that it was "a problem that's going to go away," and the next day he predicted the number of US cases "within a couple of days is going to be down to close to zero."
By March 19, when Trump told Woodward he was purposely downplaying the dangers to avoid creating a panic, he also acknowledged the threat to young people. "Just today and yesterday, some startling facts came out. It's not just old, older. Young people too, plenty of young people," Trump said. Publicly, however, Trump has continued to insist just the opposite, saying as recently as August 5 that children were "almost immune." Even into April, when the US became the country with the most confirmed cases in the world, Trump's public statements contradicted his acknowledgements to Woodward. At an April 3 coronavirus task force briefing, Trump was still downplaying the virus and stating that it would go away. "I said it's going away and it is going away," he said. Yet two days later on April 5, Trump again told Woodward, "It's a horrible thing. It's unbelievable," and on April 13, he said, "It's so easily transmissible, you wouldn't even believe it."
'Dangerous' and 'unfit'
Woodward, a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner, conducted hundreds of hours of confidential background interviews with firsthand witnesses for "Rage," and he obtained "notes, emails, diaries, calendars and confidential documents," including more than two dozen letters Trump exchanged with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Woodward is known to record his interviews with the permission of his subjects and sources. He writes that when he attributes exact quotations, thoughts or conclusions, that information comes either from the person, a colleague with direct knowledge or documents. Trump's conscious downplaying of the coronavirus is one of numerous revelations in "Rage." The book is filled with anecdotes about top cabinet officials blindsided by tweets, frustrated with Trump's inability to focus and scared about his next policy directive because he refused to accept facts or listen to experts: -- Mattis is quoted as saying Trump is "dangerous," "unfit," has "no moral compass" and took foreign policy actions that showed adversaries "how to destroy America." After Mattis left the administration, he and Coats discussed whether they needed to take "collective action" to speak out publicly against Trump. Mattis says he ultimately resigned after Trump announced he was withdrawing US troops from Syria, "when I was basically directed to do something that I thought went beyond stupid to felony stupid." -- Woodward writes that Coats and his top staff members "examined the intelligence as carefully as possible," and that Coats still questions the relationship between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. "Coats saw how extraordinary it was for the president's top intelligence official to harbor such deep suspicions about the president's relationship with Putin. But he could not shake them." -- Trump has come under fire in recent days for reportedly making disparaging remarks about US military personnel and veterans.
Woodward's book includes an anecdote where an aide to Mattis heard Trump say in a meeting, "my f---ing generals are a bunch of pussies" because they cared more about alliances than trade deals. Mattis asked the aide to document the comment in an email to him. And Trump himself criticized military officials to Woodward over their view that alliances with NATO and South Korea are the best bargain the US makes. "I wouldn't say they were stupid, because I would never say that about our military people," Trump said. "But if they said that, they -- whoever said that was stupid. It's a horrible bargain ... they make so much money. Costs us $10 billion. We're suckers." -- Woodward reports that Trump's national security team expressed concerns the US may have come close to nuclear war with North Korea amid provocations in 2017. "We never knew whether it was real," Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is quoted as saying, "or whether it was a bluff." But it was so serious that Mattis slept in his clothes to be ready in case there was a North Korean launch and repeatedly went to the Washington National Cathedral to pray. -- Trump boasted to Woodward about a new secret weapons system. "I have built a nuclear — a weapons system that nobody's ever had in this country before," Trump said. Woodward says other sources confirmed the information, without providing further details, but expressed surprise that Trump disclosed it. -- Woodward obtained the 27 "love letters" Trump exchanged with Kim Jong Un, 25 of which have not been reported publicly. The letters, filled with flowery language, provide a fascinating window into their relationship. Kim flatters Trump by repeatedly calling him "Your Excellency," and writes in one letter that meeting again would be "reminiscent of a scene from a fantasy film." In another, Kim writes that the "deep and special friendship between us will work as a magical force."
CNN has obtained the transcripts of two of the letters. -- Trump's son-in-law and senior White House adviser Jared Kushner also weighs in with some unusual literary insights about his father-in-law. Kushner is quoted as saying that four texts are key to understanding Trump, including "Alice in Wonderland." Kushner paraphrased the Cheshire Cat: "If you don't know where you're going, any path will get you there." -- Woodward pressed Trump on Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's role in the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Once again, Trump dismissed the US intelligence assessment and defends bin Salman: "He says very strongly that he didn't do it." -- Trump insulted his predecessors, saying Woodward made former President George W. Bush "look like a stupid moron, which he was." Trump said of former President Barack Obama: "I don't think Obama's smart ... I think he's highly overrated. And I don't think he's a great speaker." He also tells Woodward that Kim Jong Un thought Obama was an "asshole." -- Woodward discussed the Black Lives Matter protests and suggested to the President that people like the two of them -- "White, privileged" -- need to work to understand the anger and pain that Black people feel in the US. "You really drank the Kool-Aid, didn't you? Just listen to you," Trump responded, repeating his outrageous talking point that he's done more for the Black community than any president besides Abraham Lincoln. -- Woodward reports new details on Russia's election meddling, writing that the NSA and CIA have classified evidence the Russians had placed malware in the election registration systems of at least two Florida counties, St. Lucie and Washington. While there was no evidence the malware had been activated, Woodward writes, it was sophisticated and could erase voters in specific districts. The voting system vendor used by Florida was also used in states across the country.
'Dynamite behind the door'
"Rage" is a follow-up to Woodward's 2018 bestselling book "Fear," which portrayed a chaotic White House in which aides hid papers from Trump to protect the country from what they viewed as his most dangerous impulses. While Trump slammed "Fear," he also complained that he didn't speak to Woodward for the book, which resulted in his agreeing to extensive interviews for "Rage." However, on August 14, Trump preemptively attacked Woodward's new book, tweeting, "The Bob Woodward book will be a FAKE, as always, just as many of the others have been." Throughout the book, Trump provides insights into his view of the presidency. He tells Woodward when you're running the country, "There's dynamite behind every door." After his 18 interviews, Woodward issues a stark verdict: Trump is the "dynamite behind the door." Woodward concludes his book with a declaration that "Trump is the wrong man for the job."
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ITS ALL FAKE NEWS. EVERYTHING !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I call it trivia.
call it trivia when you hear the audio of trump saying he played it down
Are we to assume that the 190,000 dead Americans from the virus on Trump's watch are then trivial for you as well?
They are about as trivial as the Great Depression & WWII were for FDR's watch. He was elected 4 times, despite it all.
We all await your defense of Trump when he shoots someone on 5th avenue, it should be a doozy.
And the reason he was sent back to the office is because FDR showed leadership in both those instances.
Trump..... He's been a total failure with regards to leadership in the face of the Covid. Our death toll should be a fraction of what it is, just like our German cousins.
So dead American's are trivial. Got it. I seem to recall the right wing screaming and crying about 4 dead Americans in Benghazi for YEARS, but covid kills 190k and it's, "trivial".
It's because people had confidence in him. It's that simple.
We know how progressives feel, so let's end it now.
Holy Crap! Is that what you thought I said?
Wow!
And how do conservatives feel..... that 190,000 dead Americans is trivial?
If anything, Trump compares to Hoover (although Trump's abject failure of leadership is FAR worse), not FDR.
We feel that progressives are happy about it since they think they can blame the President for it.
Here is your chance - Please tell us it's not so!
He is worthy of the blame for this. ALL OF IT. If he hadn't denied/deflected/downplayed/did NOTHING, we would not be in the SNAFU, FUBAR we are in now.
He has the deaths of over 185,000 people on his hands.
So over 185,000 deaths are trivial?
Got it.
A vaccine takes on average how many years to develop? Operation Warp Speed could get a vaccine to the public this year? And that is being done by cutting red tape which any bureaucracy has in abundance. Additionally the administration has been providing money to the more promising developers of vaccines to have them developed now so that if the FDA provides clearance for use the vaccine is available immediately for the public rather than having to then wait for manufacturing. That could save lives.
The economic recovery, while not complete, has reduced unemployment greatly and gotten more people back to work and kept people in their homes and done as much as Congress would allow to help people.
The number of deaths is a terrible statistic, but I really don't see how you can lay the blame for all of that at the feed of the President. There are way too many people involved and why too many decisions that were made that all lead up to this. What ever happened to personal responsibility? You compare us against Germany but I would also point out that there are many differences between the two countries including culture, general national health, laws, traditions.. all these differences also tie in with the differences in the handling of the pandemic.
You want to blame all of this on President Trump. You have that right to do so here in America. I think you are wrong to do so however as there are too many pieces of this. Hell, if Trump had locked everything down at the beginning (in an attempt to save lives) I believe you would have been in the forefront of calling him a dictator and of abusing the power of his office. And i would have agreed with you as the President does not have that kind of power.
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These 190,000 Americans are our neighbors..... we don't give a shit about how they pray, or how they vote because we know it could just as easily be us. [removed]
I'm glad to hear it.
Wow, you might want to open a history book about the Great Depression. It started YEARS before FDR was elected. Sheesh...
Oh and BTFW, comparing Trump to FDR is utterly delusional.
You're right. To be fair, you called it "trivia".
Trivia: noun - details, considerations, or pieces of information of little importance or value.
190,000 dead Americans apparently are, in your words, "of little importance or value".
Trump lied. He knew how deadly this was in February and he lied. We've had debates on NT about what the death rate was with most conservatives proclaiming it no deadlier than the flu because that's what the President said and how could their President, who had seen the PDB's and real threat, ever lie to them? He admits to Woodward that it was 5%. He knew how deadly it was and did nothing. But that's all just "trivia" to you, like some question asked in the 2020 Trivial Pursuit addition, "President who knowingly downplayed a pandemic that led to tens of thousands of citizens deaths?" "Donald Trump?" "Correct! You win a yellow triangle piece!".
It's
upthread in black and white.
He was made aware of it in January and he ignored it.
It won't be long before that will be "HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of citizens' deaths".
Just like trumpturd, denying what was said when it's out there for all to see.
"I wanted to always play it down," Trump told Woodward on March 19, even as he had declared a national emergency over the virus days earlier. "I still like playing it down, because I don't want to create a panic."
Woodward has audio of all of it, because Trump had agreed to be interviewed for the book. Trump says on Mar 19th, to Woodward, that he stilll wanted to play it down. That date is AFTER numerous states had already shut down schools and bars and restaurants and were beginning to shut down businesses .
It's ironic... Our press secretary just went on TV saying that trump never downplayed it. I would suggest she coordinate with her boss which lies to tell and in which order.
White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany on Wednesday laughably claimed that President Donald Trump has “never downplayed” the coronavirus, despite his repeated and very public minimization of the virus and the new tapes revealing he admitted to having “wanted to always play it down.”
Shortly after CNN published audio recordings from Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Bob Woodward, in which Trump acknowledged the deadliness of the virus weeks before America’s first confirmed COVID-19 death (months later, the current U.S. death toll is now more than 190,000), McEnany was grilled by White House reporters on the bombshell.
In the on-record comments for Woodward’s upcoming book Rage , Trump said on Feb. 7 that the coronavirus was “more deadly than even your strenuous flus” while noting it was highly contagious and airborne. The president, meanwhile, has repeatedly and publicly minimized the virus to the public, comparing it to the seasonal flu and saying it would soon “disappear” and “go away.”
Looks like they sent out the wrong blowup barbie today.
Keeping people calm is part of being a leader!
You can keep people calm without lying to the faces! Jesus, what is it with the right wing justifying everything trump does up to and including lying to you face? Let it sink in, Vic, he flat out lied to your face and here you are DEFENDING it. Do you know how incredibly sad that is?
Trump could have saved 10's of thousands of lives by simply telling people to we a fucking mask, but he couldn't even do that much.
He told people publicly that it was going to go away soon when he knew it was going to spread. This could be the last nail in the coffin , although the die hards will go down with the shit, er, ship.
But we have to have sympathy for these people Mr.Frost, they have issues.
Did enough masks exist at that time to do so? I know that the pharmacies where I live were empty of any sort of PPE and there were countless video's on youtube showing how to sew one. I was fortunate in having friends who have machines and fabric and were able to make a couple of me. But attempting to purchase one in a store? Couldn't be done. The supply chain was overwhelmed and the medical experts back in Jan & Feb were all telling us that we didn't need masks in our day to day lives. Yes they were working to save as much PPE for the medical community and they did have a greater need for it.
And really the last piece on this. What ever happened to personal responsibility? Isn't it your responsibility to know what you should to to help keep yourself safe? Are we not intelligent people who should know right from wrong and good from bad and should be able to take responsibility for our daily lives?
Not lying to their face in a situation that could kill hundreds of thousands is also part of their duty and being a real leader. (190,000 plus dead to date)
Not taking responsibility isn't part of being a leader it's part of being a coward.
A bandanna works. You said that people started sewing masks. There were and still are skeins of fabric available all over the country. Any idiot can cut a fucking piece of fabric off of a skein and tie it around their face. Almost every person that lives in the US owns at least ONE scarf. Everyone has a T shirt they could cut and use.
Seriously, trying to make the claim that mask wearing wasn't DOABLE is just a sad attempt at deflecting from Trump's lies and incompetence.
In the beginning, if you will remember, "bandannas" and mere "face coverings" were not mentioned. It was masks. To claim otherwise is disingenuous. The CDC issued guidelines well into the virus about mere face coverings and how to make one.
Who the fuck do you think controls the CDC Jim?
Trump wanted the virus downplayed from the get go. He didn't allow the CDC to hold briefings.
Seriously, Trump's NSA WARNED him about the DIRE threat and they didn't even tell our military or the VA how to protect themselves. Even AFTER they admitted that people needed masks, they didn't make providing the VA and DOD with PPE a priority. The VA is STILL understaffed and under supplied and the USS Ronald Reagan just reported an outbreak.
What that actual FUCK!
i know exactly who controlled the fucking CDC. And it was Fauci who didn't say anything beyond mask. He didn't allow CDC briefings? LMMFAO Fauci was the expert. No need for the fucking CDC to speak. He spoke for the whole fucking gamut I believe after conversing/communicating with the fucking CDC.
And yes. Fucking Trump wanted it downplayed to avoid panick for fuck's sake. You think toilet paper and wipes/sanitizers and all that fucking stuff disappeared just fucking because? And if a fucking ship is out to sea, who the fuck would expect an outbreak? And of course, you have a fucking source for that pile of steaming shit right?
What the actual FUCK indeed.
Wow now I know why some are such miserable Debbie Downers. Takes a lot to tuck a fuck in every sentence.............if you have a substantial vocabulary. Needed to be said.
If keeping people calm is part of being a leader, Trump most certainly fails in that aspect of leadership. He spends an inordinate amount of time trying to rile people up.
That dong don't hunt Jim.
What are his rallies all about...... "Black people are going to move in to your suburban neighborhoods and kill your children, and rape your wives!" All he wants to do is inflame racial hatred.....create panic!
His downplay of Covid was to protect the stock market PERIOD!
The perfect analogy from Clair McCaskill
The Covid house was burning and he knew it. Not only did he not turn the water on to try an put the fire out, he didn't even want to tell us the house was on fire!
He didn't and still doesn't care how many Americans die from the virus.
Yup, Trump tries to create panic about "antifa", BLM, etc just about every day. Those scary coloreds want to break into your house and rape your daughter.
We are about at rope's end when it comes to helping Trump cultists see the light. They all have thick blindfolds on.
I guess Fauci is in the doghouse again with the snowflake left. In his own words President Trump down played nothing but went out and discussed the things they briefed him on. You know Jim it's convenient to be a TDS sufferer because they can change their talking points everyday.
You obviously do NOT know who controls the fucking CDC OR who works there. Fauci works the the NIAID Jim. Totally DIFFERENT Agency. He has NO say in what the CDC does or says.
The CDC was in the first couple of briefings and Azar relied on Redfield to answer questions so you are wrong about them not needing to speak. Unfortunately, Trump realized what a great 'it's all about me' forum the briefings were so he took them over and they became a shit show. At NO time has Dr. Fauci spoken for the other agencies.
Oh and BTFW, during the H1N1 pandemic, the CDC did ALL of the briefings.
Trump didn't want the DOW to crash. That's the only panic he cares about.
That didn't happen until March so WTF is your point?
Why?
Your pearl clutching is noted.
Fuck is a perfectly acceptable vocabulary word. Sometimes, there is just no other word to replace it and it rolls right off the tongue, or keyboard in this case.
As you probably know by now, Trump says on the audio that he played it down.
So why the attempt at bamboozling?
Source please..........thanks. Oh, and see number 6 below.........and what is the infatuation with dongs?
what exactly will it take to reach that ropes end?
Calm down. I know this is extremely upsetting. Not because you're hearing how Trump deceived a nation but because he got caught and by his own admission.
You should probably stop commenting on the scientific community. It's clear you don't have any understanding of the roles of the different Agencies. Additionally, the leaders of these Agencies can only prepare and respond based on the information they are given. Think about that.....really stop and think about it.
Yep.... Thanks for confirming that Trump can kill 150,000 Americans and you don't care Jim.
Here's the math:
US dead from Corona: 190,000 Germany dead from Covid: 9300 US Population 320 million German population 82 million.
As the US is 3.9 times the size of Germany, all things being equal, we should have experienced 36,300 dead to date given the same level of leadership and response that Germany exercised. That puts 150,000 Americans dead because of Trump lying about the virus. The same lies you are still happy to ignore.
Boy....if I dropped that many F bombs in one comment, the School Marm would be on me like a ton of bricks...and I am not talking about Perrie.
But of course you'll get a pass because...well...you're a man. Our Resident School Marm only has a problem with cursing from women and liberals
I had to type in terms that the person I responded to would understand . As for you pulling the victim card. PFFFFT.
Did I say I was offended?
Actually, I'm pissed that a certain person will never get on your ass about your language but he will others. He's a fucking hypocrite
There it is in black and white and easy enough to understand. Thanks, Fly1
Of course, I get deleted for everything INCLUDING EXCESSIVE CURSING so of course Jim will get a pass. Of course he will. Don't want to tick off the [deleted supporters. Can't have that.]
Thanks for showing us all your real character.
Of course, many of us already knew.
where did I make any claim that wearing a mask wasn't DOABLE? Don't insert crap that isn't part of the discussion. All I said was that masks were in short supply and the medical experts at the time (Fauci) were telling the general public they didn't need to wear masks back in Jan & Feb. All the politicians were telling us in Feb to ignore Covid because it wasn't that big of a deal. Feb 24th Pelosi tours Chinatown and says there is no reason for tourists or locals to stay away, the city is on top of things. On March 2nd NYC officials were still telling people the virus was a small threat and they should continue to visit their neighbors, ride buses and the subway and to continue on with their lives in a normal fashion.
Make sure you get all your facts straight about Nancy being set up by the salon owner..... I wouldn't want you to become known as a purveyor of fake news Kathleen... People like you around here... That includes me too if you can believe it.
It was an example of some of the crap that flies around here untouched and you may be pleased to know I got dinged for it. You know as well as I that I don't make a habit out of responding like that to reasonable posts/posters. As far as someone being a hypocrite, how about some of your other "friends" on here that would make a truck driver blush? You know like the one above and some of the others. Victim cards abound. Get off my porch.
I didn't call you a hypocrite, only one person, because he will not get on any conservative or man's ass for foul language.
And I'm not on your porch...I'm standing on the sidewalk yelling at you through a bull horn
And just what lies from Trump have you defended here on NT Kathleen?
But back to the topic..... did you read the link I added? I'm guessing no, as you are willing to disregards the stylist admission as well. Shame on you.
What would you call a salon owner, who was openly critical of the speaker, then setting up an appointment for her to come into the salon telling her it was okay and city approved, then immediately turning over the salon camera footage to right wing media? How is that not a set up?
"(stylist) Jonathan Denardo said e-salon owner Erica Kious approved the appointment and during a conversation over the phone Denardo says Kious made several comments criticizing the House Speaker."
" Kious, who rents stylists chairs at the salon and reportedly learned about one stylist’s plan to provide the Speaker a wash and blow dry the day before the appointment"
“The Speaker always wears a mask and complies with local COVID requirements. This business offered for the Speaker to come in on a Monday and told her they were allowed by the city to have one customer at a time in the business. The Speaker complied with the rules as presented to her by this establishment,”
Next door to my office is a hair salon and I have had many discussions with the owner about the changing regulations during the pandemic, and I can tell you it is not the customers who are responsible for allowing or not allowing how the business decides to operate. Most people are not clear on what restrictions apply and not even the speaker of the house should be expected to know local rules and regulations so it is on the business owner to comply with the State or county mandates. Trying to pin this on Nancy is dishonest and sad and clearly shows those criticizing her already had deep seated hatred for her and are just trying to use anything to cast blame and justify their existing hatred. Such a cowardly attack is shameful, but I doubt many Trump supporters have any shame left.
I sure wish we had some proof of this. All this story has is that the stylist had a phone conversation with the owner and she approved the appointment for Pelosi. There's no proof of this, it's just a he said / she said type story. As such people will believe what they want to believe based on their political leanings (for this story).
The only real evidence we have is the video of Pelosi in the salon, with her hair wet and walking without a mask. All in all I think it's a small thing in the scope of the day, more revealing in telling a story about Pelosi herself. I firmly believe that anybody who has gone to Washington and stayed more than one term is just so removed from normal life that they no longer understand We the People other than another vote to be had and the rules they make up are for us rather then themselves.
You're kidding right? There are DOZENS of articles about it all over the internet. There are plenty of seeds right here about it too.
Trump has been blaming this on China since the end of April. Of course, that's after praising China for months, in public and in private.
The end of April is when even Trump's sycophants couldn't delude themselves that 'it will miraculously disappear'.
Sp both Trump and Pompeo started spewing deceptive bullshit claiming that they saw evidence that China 'released' Covid from the Wuhan Institute of Virology. Trump did that the SAME DAY that the US IC released a report that they agreed with scientists that the virus was NOT manmade.
Within 2 weeks, Trump and Pompeo started walking that bullshit back and they have NEVER, to this day, released the alleged evidence that they claimed existed. That didn't matter because their minions continued to rinse and repeat the bullshit to this day as evidenced by your comment.
They spewed xenophobic rhetoric to deflect from their incompetence and their sycophants, desperate for a scapegoat, dutifully lapped up the pablum.
.
She (Ms. Pelosi) just HAD to set up the appointment because her normal stylist couldn't go to her residence to do her hair. That right there is enough. She never should have asked for the in person visit KNOWING full well what the restrictions were. But she pulled the privilege card and was shown she is a hypocrite for even suggesting special treatment. And she got caught. NOT set up. Demands the question, who in the hell, given that she doesn't have waist length hair by any means, needs to have someone else wash and blow out her hair and can't deal with it on her own? A spoiled old rich white woman of GovCo.
LMFAO a set up? Wow. What the left wingers won't believe.
So some simple hairdresser tricked Nancy into making a in house appointment and not wearing a mask. That is what you are going with?
That comment there has summarized everything you have ever posted to NT..
Many women have washes and blow-outs. It's pretty much the bread and butter of hair salons
Your post failed to address my comment in any way and is hugely obtuse.
And you and your fellow Trump supporters have Nancy not wearing a mask as the best deflection you have to the mass murderer that occupies the White House.
How does it make you feel that you had a hand in making those murders possible......? Any feelings of guilt, regret, shame KD? Are you all good with all the collateral damage done to our country and economy by the person you deem worthy of being the president?
Bahahahaha this is what you got?
According to the TDS sufferers millions are going to die from COVID because of President Trump. What happened to that talking point.
I seriously doubt President Trump will win reelection but If he does I am going to love watching Triggered Snowflakes 2.0
Yep.... that's exactly what Trump himself has handed to Americans to justifiably shove up every Trump supporter ass for a long time to come. The deaths, the crashed economy, the loss of jobs..... ALL OF IT! You might consider the obvious change from KD to KY btw.....!
I don't even know what the hell you're talking about. Virtue signaling? Is this a new phrase the right has come up with to label again people they hate?
Been around for quite some time.......and has nothing to do with hate. More like faux outrage.
Sound familiar now?
Unbelievable. They will defend tooth and nail the incompetent in chief even when he lies to them.
Even when his lies cost lives, they deflect and blame everyone else.
donald lied...well Pelosi was in a hair salon...Really?
China lied, it is all their fault, donald is innocent...Really?
WTF is wrong with some people. They make themselves look like complete morons just trying to trumpsplain whatever he says and does.
Seems to be your favorite practice.
I don't understand cults, and how people can get sucked into them. Think Jim Jones..... There were dozens of good people that got involved there. Trumpism is truly a cult.
The only answer I have is that they end up getting stuck in the conservative propaganda bubble, and stop being comparative in data and facts. Like you probably do, I check left (MSNBC), right (Fox/Breitbart) and down the middle (Reuters/BBC) for different data points, and then boil them down for what can be taken as facts.
Another point is that they ignored all the warning lights going on around them..... What use to be main stream Republicans are now called RINOs, should have given them paus. When the Lincoln Project came about, that should have been their wake-up call that the lurch to the far right was not on solid foundation, but I think by then Trump had full control of the message. The well known and experienced Con-man in Trump started calling the shots, told them what they thought they wanted to hear, and like the Pied-Piper...... they just followed along. And here we are with 190,000 dead and counting.
Yes, I talked about the obvious deep seated hatred some have for Pelosi. This story right wing media has fabricated and blown out of proportion and then latched on to is just one of many examples. Why some buy in to their bullshit narrative about her is sad and says far more about them than it does about Nancy going to a salon. Is her following her stylists instructions, coming into a salon alone and not wearing a mask really more important than Trump lying to the American people about how deadly the virus was? Really? You know that is the topic, not some right wing deflection to Pelosi, right?
That's funny, trump said he downplayed it and is still downplaying it.
You didn't listen to the tapes, obviously.
Neologism:
a newly coined word or expression.
Yet it's sure as hell in the ball park.
Pejorative:
expressing contempt or disapproval.
BY LYING? Wow, weren't you all over the Benghazi talking points?? Now you're fine with a lying Potus. People have died because he didn't take this seriously.
Don't fall for that deflection. That has nothing to do with what Trump had done to harm people.
Wow. The destruction of lives of millions aside, you just want to see reactions. That's disturbing. Forget about those who have died/will die, and forget about the unemployed and the economy.
I just read where a teacher, 28 yrs old caught the virus and a week later she died.
16 years "newly" hahahahaha
exactly. people are still going to get sick and die. I think that the whole of what he did is horrendous but that he knew early on that kids would get it and die and still lied to the public is just flat out evil.
Care to share that story link?
Thanks for the link.
What is truly puzzling is the fact that some people think that, like his predecessor, people latch on to whatever he says. The "experts" were disagreeing with him a lot of the time and people, not all wrapped up in TDS, listened to them. The ones who listened to Mr. Trump were looking for something to keep them from believing the severity to make themselves feel better. I know I, for one and if I remember correctly also you, took it seriously from the get go. I can't even remember the last time I ate at a restaurant or had a drink at a bar because I wasn't taking any chances with this 65 year old body. Not that I have health problems that would be exacerbated by getting the disease, I didn't want to spread it.........to anyone. Friends, family NOR foe.
Comments removed from thread for slap fight. Stop or tickets with points will be given.
From YOUR quote:
I could not care less.
You seem to always end up pearl clutching in the end.
Again, I could not care less.
Opinions do vary. Perhap you'd like another of my [favorites.........deleted]
Here are several dead teachers to choose from:
Teachers Die of COVID in South Carolina, Mississippi, Missouri, Iowa and Oklahoma As Schools Reopen
The only opinions that have varied here are your own. You can't even seem to stand by the content in your own links.
elsewhere
I wonder if their intellectual discourse in these letters is on the level of Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelts .
Nah.
Trump's letters are probably written in crayon and Kim's come with pop ups.
Come on now, one of them had to use finger paint.
More like Scooby Doo and Shaggy
So trump knew on or before Feb. 7th that covid was 5 times as deadly as the seasonal flu and it was airborne. Three days later, trump publicly stated that it was no worse than the seasonal flu.
Go for it trump supporters, defend that one.
pretty quiet over here, Mr Frost...maybe they went looking for talking points?
I doubt they'll find anything with their heads still firmly shoved up Trumps ass.
Trump gave his defense to all this at a press conference a few minutes ago. His defense is, basically, that everything he did was perfect.
Recall, that is how he "explained" his phone call with Zelensky.
This man is evil, and his attempts to bamboozle are bottomless. He has run out of ammo though.
I'll just leave this here....................
Is there any doubt remaining about the mental health of those who continue to support this president...........
Nope...... pretty clear that they really don't care that Trump could kill someone and not be held accountable for it...... Not even if he killed 150,000 of them.
He doesn't care about their lives..... Trump held three big rallies in February, knowing that the virus was deadly and transmitted by air, yet it was more important for Trump to hold the rally, his supporters be damned, or at least put on a respirator in an ICU.
I've come to terms with the mindset of the average trump supporter. I'm not interested in befriending them or saving them. They are the master of their own fate and they are writing how they will be remembered in history, comment by comment.
I do feel bad for them though.
We have close friends that the last time we checked are still supporting Trump. We care about them and... "Friends don't let friends vote for Trump."
Then for me there is still that oath sworn to so many years ago..... So for me it is for those I know, and the millions I will never know that I'll still keep hammering away for. Our country depends on it PJ. Think of all the businesses that will never come back, and lives shattered because of the lies told by Trump regarding this virus. There is still time to salvage what is left if we keep trying.
Hope you've been well.
I have been better. I contracted COVID in late January and am still feeling the effects of it. It wreaked havoc on my respiratory system. It's like walking around with pneumonia.
Good luck with bridging the gap with your friends.
Oh my goodness! I hope your recovery is going well.
Unfortunately, they are the master of OUR fate too. As long as they do stupid shit like Sturgis, we ALL bear the human and monetary toll of their stupidity. Over 250,000 MORE Covid cases spread across the country and 12 BILLION in medical costs.
I for one do NOT feel bad for them. In fact, I'm outraged. The way I see it, every one of those motherfuckers is keeping me from being able to take my 80+ year old mother to dinner, a concert, an art fair, a Chicago museum. It's cost us a whole summer of activities that we had planned in a place where we cherish the few months that we have before winter sets in once again.
Fuck them and may karma be swift.
You got the same condemnation for Queen Pelosi? I mean cuz gosh she said fuck the peons it's all about me? I mean by Pelosi's actions I'm guessing by liberal math measurements that means another month of you not being to go to the museum.
Save your faux rage...
We've gone down this row on another seed KD.... and your deflection about Nancy is a joke compared to the mass murderer you continue to support in the WH.
Your savior, Trump was stupid enough to ask to have Woodward interview him in an election year. This is a guy that brings a rope every time he visits the WH. Trump took that rope and hung himself with it! What did he think was going to happen when he told Woodward he knew all about how deadly the virus was in early February? What did he think was going to happen when he said he was going to "play it down". When did Trump think this book was going to come out? Trump is an idiot!!!!
Hell, he has you swinging by the neck right next to him for still supporting him for the 150,000 deaths that could possibly have been prevented had this president taken similar actions to our European cousins. Our kids could be in school right now just like they are in Germany had Trump acted to protect Americans instead of the damn stock market.
Your comments are more concrete proof that party is all that matters to you..... America and Americans be damned. 190,000 dead Americans and counting KD, and many of those deaths could have been prevented as well as those yet to come..... can you let that sink in?
You have to remember that Hannity and Carlson were outraged for WEEKS over Pelosi spending 14 of her own dollars on ice-cream, but don't bat an eye at trump spending 150 million taxpayer dollars on golf. The fake outrage and hypocrisy from the right wing is so thick you can cut it with a knife.
No doubt! Don't forget the 6.25Million that have been diagnosed. We are no where near the end of the deaths caused by his lies.
think you might be the one suffering that affliction.
I can only think that what they write must sound better in their heads before they hit send.
Trump is going down and they know it for sure now. The question is how they can mitigate losses in the senate and the house.
What I find is so astounding is that the trump supporters don't even realize that Trump considers them chumps..!
that and the fact that many will still refuse to wear masks to protect themselves.
It's crazy. I think we must be in lala land now.
The hardest part is getting them to not just wear a mask to protect themselves, but to protect others that make up this country.
They are selfish..... only thinking for themselves.
My guess is that in the days before the election, if trump isn't doing well, repubs will refute him to save their own skins.
''I didn't want to cause a panic''. That has to be, without a doubt the biggest pile of bullshit in Amerian history.
Exactly WTF did he think was going on when states are fighting each other and the feds for PPE's, that it was part of his trade war.
Over 190,000 dead and countless family members and friends having to deal with the aftermath. Thousands more suffering long term debilitating effects.
Thank goodness that we had some governors and mayors that really did take responsibility and enforced some things that helped slow down the carnage.
Of course, he doesn't take any responsibility for any of this. His words.
If you listen to the Feb. 7th audio Trump says that it's 5 times worse than the flu and that the flu kills 25 - 30,000 a year. So presuming that Trump can do grade school math, on Feb, 7th, Trump KNEW that Covid had the potential to kill at least 100,000.
100,000 was the price he was willing to pay for reelection.
There is NO defense for what he did and said after that. NONE.
No there isn't, never has been, and never will be.
It seems that even Trump's supporters are finding it mighty hard to make excuses for this one. No ''fake news'' because it's on tape.
LOL Even that won't stop them, Kavika. Their brains are encased in concrete and even if Trump were to murder his wife they will continue to support him and consider him a perfect example of a POTUS.
They would blame the wife. They don't need a reason to blame her. They just believe Trump. That is what they are self programmed to do.
Last night I watched about 45 minutes of Fox News and they didn't mention the book, Woodward, the tapes or even the pandemic the entire time. They just kept going from one reporter in the field to another stationed at any protest still going on, from Rochester to Portland, and they kept repeating the same footage of someone throwing a lawn chair over a fence and some footage from last week of a vehicle burning. Other than that they mentioned the California fires and bashed on Biden a few times, but their silence on the Trump tapes was deafening.
Unbelievable.
One has to think of the millions of people that believed his bullshit about not wearing a mask all the while he knew how deadly this is.
His ''good friend'' Herman Cain, beat cancer but was stupid enough not to wear a mask and died from COVID19. Trump says what a shame and Cain has never been mentioned again.
Yup, 195,000 dead and HE KNEW.