It became clear Sunday in an interview with Fox News's Chris Wallace that President Donald Trump isn't getting realistic information about the coronavirus. That means he's not making decisions that are the best things for Americans.
In a report by New York Times reporters, Republicans are starting to panic as the president continued on his pathway to coronavirus failure. Many senior Republicans are beginning to understand that Trump will never "pivot" to addressing the crisis in a constructive way. So, they're looking for ways to work around him, even if it means saying the opposite of what the president does.
"In recent days, some of the most prominent figures in the G.O.P. outside the White House have broken with Mr. Trump over issues like the value of wearing a mask in public and heeding the advice of health experts like Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, whom the president and other hard-right figures within the administration have subjected to caustic personal criticism," said the Times. "They appear to be spurred by several overlapping forces, including deteriorating conditions in their own states, Mr. Trump's seeming indifference to the problem and the approach of a presidential election in which Mr. Trump is badly lagging his Democratic challenger, Joseph R. Biden Jr., in the polls."
State and local governments run by Republicans are now passing mask orders, despite the president's resistance to wearing a mask until recently.
The Times said that the governors have started holding late-night calls to trade ideas and lament about the issues they're facing and the lack of assistance coming from the federal government. Trump, obviously, is not invited to the calls. However, Vice President Mike Pence is seen by the leaders as far more understanding and helpful, despite what he may say publicly.
"The president got bored with it," the Times cited David Carney, who works as an adviser to the Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R). He said that Pence is someone he can speak with two to three times each week.
Republican lawmakers are also begging Trump to bring back the daily COVID-19 press briefings with Drs. Fauci and Deborah Birx. Even Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) confessed that the virus isn't going away until we get the vaccine.
"As a responsible citizen, if you care about your neighbor, if you love your neighbor, let us show the respect necessary by wearing a mask," Gov. Gary Herbert (R-UT) said as a way of convincing conservatives to care enough to wear a mask. "That's where I think you and the president can help us out."
Gov. Mike DeWine (R-OH) was among one of the first Republicans to abandon the president and false information he was spreading. DeWine has praised Pence for doing great work as the head of the task force.
"Any suggestion that the president is not working around the clock to protect the health and safety of all Americans, lead the whole-of-government response to this pandemic, including expediting vaccine development, and rebuild our economy is utterly false," said White House spokesman Judd Deere.
Read the rest of the many Republicans who have bailed on Trump at the New York Times.
