On Thursday, The Denver Post editorial board raked President Donald Trump over the coals for politicizing the allocation of critical medical supplies in the coronavirus pandemic, calling it a "disgusting political game."
"In just the latest example of his gross display, the president tweeted on Wednesday: 'Will be immediately sending 100 Ventilators to Colorado at the request of Senator Gardner!'" wrote the board. "Trump had only days before prevented Colorado Gov. Jared Polis from securing 500 ventilators from a private company, instead, taking the ventilators for the federal government. Polis sent a formal letter pleading for medical equipment, but the president took the time to make clear he was responding to a request from Gardner."
"We are left to believe that if Colorado didn’t have a Republican senator in office, our state would not be getting these 100 ventilators," continued the board. "How many ventilators would we be getting if we had a Republican governor and a second Republican senator? Would that indicate we had more Republican lives in our state worth saving for Trump and resources would start flowing? Should Utah be concerned that Sen. Mitt Romney voted to remove the president from office?"
The board noted that Trump has also told Vice President Mike Pence not to even call governors that don't praise the administration's efforts sufficiently.
"The federal government should be procuring medicine, masks, and ventilators and distributing them to states on a set formula based on population, rate of infection and need," wrote the board. "Instead, Trump’s messaging makes it feel as though he will watch with glee from the White House as people suffer in states being led by his enemies. If that’s not the case, then the president needs to act as though he’s working on behalf of all of us, not just those who voted for him or cow-towed to his corrupt administration."
"It’s far too early to reflect on the performance of Trump’s administration during this crisis, but on this one urgent point — the immediate allocation resources to states — we felt it essential to speak up immediately," concluded the board. "We find it hard to believe decisions are being made on such a morally bankrupt basis, but Trump is doing this nation no favors by giving us the impression that politics will drive his administration’s response to a virus that has already killed thousands of Americans and will kill thousands more."
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