Conservative Washington Post columnist Jennifer Rubin said Thursday that President Donald Trump has become a menace to himself and to the rest of the country.
Writing Thursday morning, Rubin explained that Trump is now flying in the face of experts at his own Food and Drug Administration, which is desperately trying to keep people safe from popping pills that could harm them more than help them.
Trump has claimed that he was taking hydroxychloroquine as protection against COVID-19. Wednesday evening, "Late Show" host Stephen Colbert mocked the president, saying he was willing to take a drug that could kill him, but he's unwilling to wear a mask that could actually protect himself and others.
"It’s par for the course that Trump uses his bully pulpit in dangerous ways, and in doing so misses an opportunity to actually do something productive," wrote Rubin. "Instead of encouraging others to disregard the FDA, he could be modeling good behavior and touting the benefits of mask-wearing, as most public officials are doing. It would offer him protection, as well as those around him. Nope. He is too vain or too afraid to give medical experts credence, so he refuses."
The president is on his way to a Ford factory in Michigan Thursday, and officials in the state are begging him to wear a mask to protect the staff of the Ford plant.
"I ask that while you are on tour you respect the great efforts of the men and women at Ford — and across this state — by wearing a facial covering,” Nessel wrote in her letter, saying the requirement “is not just the policy of Ford, by virtue of the Governor’s Executive Orders." Trump doesn't just have a legal responsibility, he has a moral one, she said.
While the Ford plant has mandatory rules about personal protective equipment, Ford backed down on their strict requirements for the president. Meanwhile, the governor is likely tired of fighting with Trump at a time there are important things to focus on (like the flooding as well as COVID-19) instead of the president whining about wearing a mask.
"The White House has its own safety and testing policies in place and will make its own determination," Ford said in a statement.
"However, Ford is supposed to follow its safety rules, which happen to be embodied in state law. So Trump will not only model dangerous behavior but will also flout the law if he goes maskless," wrote Rubin.
"That’s a shame. Indulging Trump’s dangerous and illegal (in Michigan) behavior sends exactly the wrong message," Rubin closed. "But that’s Trump’s MO these days — take the unapproved drugs; reject the masks that actually work; misinform and endanger his own followers who follow his lead. He is a menace to public health and to himself. Too bad no one cares enough to tell him no."
