Trump is stubbornly clinging to stunts to show all is well — even as his condition worsens: analysis

Writing for Vox, correspondent German Lopez slammed President Donald Trump for his ongoing series of stunts to prove that everything in the country is normal and there is nothing to be afraid of or criticize his government for — even as COVID-19 has made him very sick.

"Since Trump’s diagnosis last Thursday, he and his administration seem to be trying to cover up the president’s disease," wrote Lopez. "They’ve downplayed his symptoms. They’ve suggested he needed to be hospitalized not because of his apparently high fever and low oxygen levels but 'out of an abundance of caution.' They’ve posted videos and photos of Trump in the presidential suite at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center."

"On Sunday, it culminated in a photo-op of Trump being driven outside Walter Reed medical center as he waved at supporters — exposing at least the driver and passenger in the car to infection," continued Lopez. This stunt, in particular, appears to have angered Secret Service agents who do not appreciate having their health and safety risked for political exhibitions.

"This is all out of the same playbook Trump has used for Covid-19 from day one. It’s an attempt to make everything seem normal, as if the coronavirus isn’t wrecking millions of lives, in a desperate attempt to go back to a world that could help ensure Trump’s reelection," wrote Lopez, noting it is the same attitude that drove Trump to, by his own confession to Bob Woodward, deliberately downplay the virus.

"Trump has stuck to this even as it’s put people in danger again and again," wrote Lopez. "He’s called for states to reopen — to 'LIBERATE' them — even as experts warned that opening too soon would lead to new cases (and, sure enough, cases spiked over the summer as states opened prematurely). He’s pushed for less testing, arguing more tests pick up more cases and therefore make the US look bad, even as experts said more testing, along with contact tracing, is still needed to slow the outbreak. He’s mocked masks and frequently refused to wear one himself, even as experts and a growing body of research show masks are key to stopping Covid-19."

"As he lived his denial, going to ill-advised campaign rallies and events, frequently refusing to wear a mask, Trump exposed himself to the coronavirus again and again," concluded Lopez. "And it’s all set to continue — as Trump and his staff’s barrage of mistruths and political spin over the weekend proved."

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