Column: #TrumpKnew, Didn't Care and Might Have Sacrificed The Presidency
Early in the morning a couple days ago, I woke up thinking about all the people in my life and other Americans who have lost loved ones, jobs and businesses due to the pandemic brought on by COVID-19. Personally, I've seen many smart and great people I've worked with lose their jobs.
From friends I've heard of family members of theirs who've passed away because of the virus. My father, mother-in-law, aunt, brother-in-law, numerous family members and friends who are frontline workers have all grappled with it in some way. Hanging over all that is the constant fear for the well-being of my mother and grandparents -- all of whom are at high risk of being infected, leaving them open to something worse happening to them.
September 11th marked the six-month point from when quarantining became the default weapon our nation took up against COVID-19, a reality that hasn't faded to memory and is as real as ever.
My daughter is numbered along with millions of other children who either didn’t finish their school year this spring in the classroom or had their education regressed. Millions of children have gone back into actual classrooms while their schools are reporting major COVID outbreaks. All the while, many families that try to suppor these kids are now homeless, struggling to find food or both.
This isn’t the first time I’ve had these thoughts in the past six months, but at this time they were as prevalent as ever because in the past week America found out #TrumpKnew.
To find out that President Trump and his Administration knew the truth about COVID-19 from the very early days of 2020 isn’t shocking given the president's long history of deceit and conspiratorial acts. What is shocking is actually hearing Trump spew COVID facts and truths, early as March of this year, on tape to veteran reporter Bob Woodward for his new book "Rage," while at the same time purposely withholding this vital information from the public. In his own words, Trump admits to playing down the impact of the virus because he didn’t want the country to “panic.” That is a lie.
Trump’s political and personal lives each revolve around setting panic and fear in the public.
Among Trump's greatest irrational fear hits as president: peddling long-held racist fears of Latin/Hispanic people seeking asylum at our southern boarder, pushing an unfounded theory that Black and low income Americans are bent on destroying the suburbs as well as Democrats intending to abolish the 2nd Amendment. Plus, there's the old evergreen "fake news" statements he's made, which have sown distrust and fear against the free press into much of the American people.
In the light of all these despicable actions, panicking American voters into not having faith in a voting system that allows for mail-in voting is a cherry on top of a seven-layer cake. I’m sure I’m I’ve missed a few more fake panic alarms, but its well-established anyway that Trump's main goal is re-election and pumping more life into the stock market, no matter the price, which so often is the expense of our lives and livelihood.
All things considered, I’m a pretty optimistic guy, but the trust among the American people has been so eroded over the last six months to the point where I’m not sure when or how it will ever return. We have American extremists and politicians purposely fanning the flames of racial and cultural anxiety while millions of Americans are rudderless in their lives and not returning to the workforce, all while 190,000 citizens have lost their lives due to COVID with more sure to follow.
If another pandemic was to occur -- something very likely as we prepare to enter another flu season -- millions of Americans will only act as they see fit and not believe any information coming from the government or press. To hear the debate regarding whether or not people will take a Coronavirus vaccine if it ever becomes accessible is just disheartening and enough to worry us all.
The lies of the current President of the United States has lead to mass death and has permanently derailed the lives of millions of Americans, a result which should negatively impact generations to come. Trump has literally held mass political rallies during this pandemic and encouraged people not to wear masks, knowing the virus is, as he states in his own words “air borne.”
Blaming all the enablers around us or the newsrooms that knowingly or unknowingly spread these lies is fine, but Trump must be held personally responsible on November 3rd for what he's done.
None of this had to happen but it did. So my question to to the American people is this -- where do we go from here?