According to Playboy magazine senior White House correspondent Brian Karem -- who has seen it first hand -- Donald Trump is an absentee president who puts in little time at his job and, when he does, has no idea what he is supposed to be doing.
Writing for the conservative Bulwark, Karem said Trump is more than just "Putin's puppet," he is "incompetent" and therefore dangerous.
As Karem sees it, the public is inundated with reports about the president's "bombast, wild claims, misogyny, racism, lies, greed and avarice" but what should be more concerning is his inability to fulfill the basic responsibilities of his office.
That is when he bothers to show up and enter it.
As he explains, "The Marine guard posted outside of Trump’s office when he is in it almost never appears before noon and is rarely seen in the afternoon. There have been days when Trump has held press briefings where the guard wasn’t outside of the door even as Trump entered the briefing room—indicating that Trump may have walked straight from the residence to the briefing room. No guard on duty outside of the West Wing after a Trump appearance would indicate he walked straight back to the residence."
Pointing out the staff aides' claims that the president is a hard worker are patently false, Karem said the president has neither the attention span nor the interest in dealing with complex issues that affect the country.
"His lack of engagement leads to him reading from notes and using visual aids in his briefings. It is often apparent—sometimes he even points it out himself—that he hasn’t read the prepared material he’s giving us. Thus he misquotes it and often doesn’t seem to understand what he’s saying," he charged. "Last Wednesday he was at it again. He used visual aids and misled us about their significance to try and explain away the fact that we lead the world in coronavirus deaths."
According to the journalist, Trump's disinterest in his job has allowed his close advisers to run wild and the White House communications shop to botch announcements only to be followed with claims of "they misspoke" or "they didn’t understand."
Providing an example, Karem wrote, "That was on display again last Wednesday. Early in the morning a pool reporter tweeted out that an administration official said a couple of staffers had tested positive for the coronavirus. In her afternoon briefing, press secretary Kayleigh McEnany refused to say how many, if any, of the White House staff had tested positive," and that what followed was the president saying he was unaware of it -- then disputing it.
Karem noted that that incident was not the only fruit of White House chaos that day with the president later disputing comments made by his own CDC director, with the White House correspondent writing, "The message coming out of the Trump White House could not be more muddled."
"At the end of the day, if there is a second term for President Donald Trump, then last Wednesday is a template for just how screwed up the administration can and will be," he explained. "If Trump gets a second term and doesn’t have to face another election in his lifetime, does anyone honestly think he’ll spend more time at the office?"
Adding "His speech at the National Archives last Thursday shows where we’re headed: Stephen Miller-driven national policy," Karem wrote. "That couldn’t be more hideous. As for Trump, he disengaged long ago and all the chaos and lies are symptomatic of a man who just doesn’t care anymore—or was never really even capable of doing so."
The host of "The Rachel Maddow Show" on MSNBC triumphantly reported on a story the show has been chasing for months.
Maddow reported on a Centers for Disease Control investigation of the massive coronavirus outbreak at a Smithfields Foods meatpacking factory in South Dakota. Over 1,300 workers contracted COVID-19.
The CDC sent an "Epidemiologic Assistance" team, also as Epi-Aids.
Maddow had previously reported that the Epi-Aids report issued on April 22 did not sound like previous reports the CDC has issued.
On Tuesday, she reported that there actually was a real report given to South Dakota on April 21st. And that CDC Director Robert Redfield's office made the scientists issue a secondary report the next day, after meeting with Agricultural Secretary Sonny Perdue.
At a rally in Pennsylvania on Tuesday, President Donald Trump mocked Joe Biden for wearing a mask, saying that it is a waste for him to cover up all his plastic surgery.
Trump's remarks earned instant exasperation from social media.
A grandson of former Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy told The New Yorker that he was the whistleblower that sounded the alarm on presidential son-in-law Jared Kushner's coronavirus task force to Congress.
Max Kennedy Jr., 26, told The New Yorker's Jane Mayer that he sent an anonymous whistleblower complaint to Congress in April "detailing dangerous incompetence" in the administration's pandemic response, according to the report.
"Americans are facing a crisis of tragic proportions, and there is an urgent need for an effective, efficient and bold response. From my few weeks as a volunteer, I believe we are falling short," he said in the complaint in April. "I am writing to alert my representatives of these challenges and to ask that they do everything possible to help front-line health-care workers and other Americans in need."
"I just couldn't sleep," Kennedy told Mayer. "I was so distressed and disturbed by what I'd seen."
Kennedy was advised by a friend to volunteer for Kushner's "impact team" and decided to jump at the opportunity to join the Supply-Chain Task Force in March believing that the job "didn't seem political."
Kennedy, who was surrounded by other 20-something volunteers from various fields with no experience in procuring medical supplies, said he was surprised that they were not intended to be support staff for the procurement team.
"We were the team," he told Mayer. "We were the entire frontline team for the federal government."
The team was tasked with procuring much-needed supplies while equipped with only their personal laptops and private email accounts. Kennedy said that as the weeks went on, he was disturbed by President Donald Trump's continued efforts to downplay the pandemic.
"I knew from that room that he was saying things that just weren't true," he said, adding that the team was too small to meet the challenge.
Kennedy told Mayer that Brad Smith, one of the leaders of the task force, "pressured [Kennedy] to create a model fudging the projected number of fatalities," according to the report. Smith told him that he wanted the model to revise down the number of projected deaths, arguing that experts' models were "too severe," according to Kennedy.
"I don't know the first thing about disease modelling," Kennedy said he told Smith, adding that he turned down the task.
Kennedy told the outlet that the team was also directed to prioritize requests from Trump's friends and supporters, including "special attention" for Fox News host Jeanine Pirro, who demanded masks for a hospital she favored.
One of the task force officials told Kennedy that Trump was a "marketing genius" because he "personally came up with the strategy of blaming the states" for the failure to procure equipment.
Kennedy ultimately quit the team in April and landed a gig with the Democratic Party.
Kushner has dismissed what he called "hysterical" media reports that the administration's response was highly inadequate, declaring it a "success" despite more than 200,000 deaths.
"Like Trump — when it comes to fighting the coronavirus outbreak — Kushner appears more concerned with the stock market than with public health," GQ's Luke Darby wrote in May. "One Republican briefed on the administration's coronavirus response told Vanity Fair that as early as mid-January, advisers were sounding alarms, but 'Jared kept saying the stock market would go down, and Trump wouldn't get reelected.'"
Kennedy told Mayer he came forward despite signing a non-disclosure agreement because he doubts the administration can silence him in court.
"If you see something that might be illegal, and cause thousands of civilian lives to be lost, a person has to speak out," he said, adding that the administration's pandemic response "was like a family office meets organized crime, melded with 'Lord of the Flies.' It was a government of chaos."
Forget the princess outfit, the Batman suit, or the Donald Trump mask.
The coronavirus pandemic has put a damper on Halloween celebrations in the US this year with health officials encouraging Americans to avoid heading out for a candy-fueled evening and to instead stay home and hold virtual parties.
"Many traditional Halloween activities can be high-risk for spreading viruses," the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a statement that advised against crowded indoor costume parties or sending kids trick-or-treating.
"Going to an indoor haunted house where people may be crowded together and screaming" is also off-limits, the agency said.
Instead, Americans are being encouraged to carve pumpkins at home or with friends and neighbors outdoors while adhering to social distancing guidelines.
Virtual Halloween costume contests are also encouraged.
For those who can't fathom ignoring one of the most popular US holidays of the year -- during which kids go door-to-door to receive treats -- the CDC said "one-way trick-or-treating" or socially distanced parades present a moderate risk.
It said goodie bags could be prepared in advance and placed, for example, at the end of a driveway for children to grab.
The CDC guidelines come as states across the country are grappling with how to balance health safety and fun during the annual celebration.
"Since some of the traditional ways in which this holiday is celebrated does not allow you to minimize contact with non-household members, it is important to plan early and identify safer alternatives," the Los Angeles County Health Department said.
The county initially banned trick-or-treating and other Halloween activities but quickly walked back on that decision to change the wording to "not recommended."
President Donald Trump and his allies seem to realize that they've dug themselves a hole in attacking former Vice President Joe Biden as mentally unfit. With expectations so low, a Biden win in the first debates are almost assured, even with a Fox News host.
In a discussion Tuesday, Trump began to pivot away from his non-stop advertising attacking Biden's cognitive abilities and instead claim Biden is a "professional" who knows what he's doing.
"Maybe that would work if the president himself had not been saying this about Biden on repeat for the entirety of the campaign," said CNN host Brianna Keilar.
She showed a series of videos with Trump blasting Biden as "not all there" and "he doesn't know he's alive."
"It's totally baseless," said Keilar. "And now one week to the first debate president Trump, who is the most prominent purveyor of conspiracy theories in America is floating this one about Joe Biden."
She played the video from Trump speaking to an Ohio audience saying that Biden will get a "shot" or some kind of amphetamine that will make him smarter. It's why Trump is calling for a drug test, claiming that he too would take one.
A drug test could also tell a lot about Trump's health and the drugs he's taking if he concedes to actually giving one.
"Let's get this straight: Trump has been baselessly claiming that Biden is 'not with it' for months now," she explained. "Now he's so in doubt about why Biden is so 'with it' that he's covering all his bases, I guess. He's saying if you think Biden seems normal, it's because it's drug-induced? This has no basis in fact. He's just making stuff up. But it's designed to make you wonder, to creep into your head and stick because that's how conspiracy theories take hold. He's planting a seed and his state-run news channel and its on-staff doctor is watering the hell out of it."
She showed a clip of Fox News Dr. Marc Siegel asking why Trump would be talking about drug tests before a debate. While many would assume it was because Trump was the one thinking about doing drugs to boost his energy after a series of lackluster or "sedated" appearances.
Keilor noted that Dr. Siegel is paid by Fox News not to deliver factual information to viewers, but to make things up on television.
He'll "weaponize his medical credentials against a presidential candidate," she said. It was only late in the interview that he confessed that he's never examined Biden and doesn't have any idea what "condition" Biden could have that would confirm his lies.
With COVID-19 vaccines currently in the final phase of study, you’ve probably been wondering how the FDA will decide if a vaccine is safe and effective.
Based on the status of the Phase 3 trials currently underway, it is unlikely that the results of these trials will be available before November. But it is likely that not just one but several of the competing COVID-19 vaccines will be shown to be safe and effective by the end of 2020.
What is the status of COVID-19 vaccines in human clinical trials?
Phase 3 studies are underway for the Moderna and BioNTech/Pfizer vaccines and the Oxford/AstraZeneca viral vector vaccine.
Each of these vaccines uses the SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein, which the virus uses to infect cells, to trigger the immune system to generate protective antibodies and a cellular immune response to the virus. Protective antibodies act by preventing the spike glycoprotein from attaching the virus to human cells, thereby neutralizing the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19.
In the case of Moderna’s nucleic acid vaccine, the messenger RNA encoding the spike glycoprotein is encased in a fat droplet – called a liposome – to protect the mRNA from degradation and enable it to enter cells. Once these instructions are inside the cells, the mRNA is read by the human cell machinery and made into many spike proteins so that the immune system can respond and begin producing antibodies against this coronavirus.
The Oxford/AstraZeneca uses a different strategy to activate an immune response. Here an adenovirus found in chimpanzees shuttles the instructions for manufacturing the spike glycoprotein into cells.
Animal tests show the vaccines provide protection from coronavirus infection
Studies in animal models of COVID-19 provide convincing evidence that vaccination with the spike glycoprotein will protect from COVID-19. Experiments have show that when the immune system is shown the spike protein – which alone cannot trigger disease – the immune system will generate an antibody response that protects from infection with SARS-CoV-2.
In studies in hamsters an adenovirus viral vector – the approach used by Oxford/AstraZeneca, for example – was used to immunize with the Spike glycoprotein. When the hamsters were infected with SARS-CoV-2 they were protected from pneumonia, weight loss and death.
In nonhuman primates, DNA vaccines – which deliver the gene for the spike glycoprotein – reduced the amount of virus in the lungs. Animals that produced antibody that prevented virus attachment to human cells were most likely to be protected.
History of vaccines: Smallpox to SARS-CoV-2.
What have the early Phase 1 and 2 studies in humans shown?
But Phase 1 and 2 studies are by small by design, with just hundreds of participants. So these trials will not be large enough to detect uncommon or rare side effects.
The emphasis on safety as the primary goal was recently demonstrated in the Phase 3 Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine trial where one vaccinated individual developed inflammation of the spinal cord. It isn’t clear whether the vaccine caused this reaction – it might be a new case of multiple sclerosis unrelated to the vaccine – but the Phase 3 trial was halted in the U.S. until more is known.
How is the FDA ensuring that a vaccine will be safe yet quickly produced?
The FDA has issued guidance for industry on the steps required for developing and ultimately licensing vaccines to prevent COVID-19 – these are the same rigorous safety standards required for all vaccines.
There are, however, ways to speed the process of approval that are centered on “platform technology.” What this means is that if a vaccine is using an approach such as an adenovirus that has previously been shown to be safe, it may be possible for a company to use previously collected data on toxicity and pharmacokinetics to fast-track clinical trial approval.
While speed and safety may appear conflicting goals, it is also encouraging to note that the rival vaccine manufacturers have jointly pledged not to bow to any political pressures to rush vaccine approval, but to maintain the most rigorous safety standards.
How to develop a vaccine, quickly.
How protective does a vaccine need be to receive FDA approval?
The FDA has set the bar for the primary endpoint of a Phase 3 trial of 50% protection for approval of a COVID-19 vaccine.
Protection is defined as protection from symptomatic COVID-19 infection, defined as laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection plus symptoms such as fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath, fatigue, muscle aches, loss of taste or smell, congestion or runny nose, diarrhea, nausea or vomiting.
This means that an effective vaccine is considered one that will reduce the number of infections in vaccine recipients by half. This is the minimal protection that is anticipated to be clinically useful. That is, in part, because lower levels of efficacy could paradoxically increase COVID-19 infections if it leads vaccinated people to decrease mask wearing or social distancing because they think they are completely protected.
Since a vaccine might be more effective at preventing severe COVID-19, the FDA instructs that protection from severe COVID-19 should be a secondary endpoint.
How many people have to be vaccinated to know if a vaccine works in Phase 3?
The current Phase 3 trials are enrolling 30,000-40,000 subjects. Most of these participants will receive the vaccine and some a placebo.
When, exactly, the results of Phase 3 studies will be released depends in large part on the rate of infection in the placebo recipients. The way that these vaccine studies work is that they test if naturally acquired new coronavirus infections are lower in the group that received the vaccine compared with the group receiving the placebo.
So while it is good news that COVID-19 infections have dropped recently in the U.S. from 70,000 to 40,000 cases per day, this drop in new infections may slow the vaccine studies.
Will Emergency Use Authorization fast-track vaccine?
In an emergency such as we are faced with the COVID-19 pandemic, with approximately 700 new deaths and 40,000 new cases per day right now, the FDA is authorized to allow the use of unapproved products for the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disease. That includes a vaccine.
The standard approval process for vaccines can require more than one year of observation after vaccination. If the short-term safety is good and the vaccine works to prevent COVID-19, then the vaccine should be approved for use under an Emergency Use Authorization while it is still being studied.
Under Emergency Use Authorization, the FDA will continue to collect information from the companies producing the vaccines for benefit and harm, including surveillance for vaccine-associated enhanced respiratory disease or other potentially rare complications that might be observed in only one in a million.
What should we expect in terms of approvals?
I expect that the FDA will approve several vaccines by the end of 2020 under its Emergency Use Authorization authority so that vaccination can begin immediately, starting with high-risk groups including first responders, health care personnel, and the elderly and those with preexisting medical conditions.
This will be followed rapidly with roll-out of vaccination to the population at large, while all of the time the FDA and vaccine manufacturers will continue to monitor for side effects and work to improve upon these first vaccines. This process is expected to take months.
It may not be life back to normal next year, but all signs point to a healthier 2021.
During a segment on CNN this Tuesday, White House correspondent Jim Acosta recounted his challenging of Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany over President Trump's recent comments where he claimed coronavirus affects "virtually nobody," especially young people.
After playing a clip of the exchange, CNN's Brianna Keilar asked Acosta for his thoughts. According to Acosta, McEnany's deflections are nothing new, saying that McEnany is flat-out lying to the American people "like the President did last night at that rally in Ohio" and he's "missing a giant point."
"...and that is that younger Americans, while they may not get sick and die from the coronavirus at the same rate that older Americans do, they can catch the virus and spread it to other people," Acosta said. "So, one of the things we've been dealing with throughout all of this ... is that the President downplays this virus. He diminishes the threat posed by the virus. He holds rallies where people don't wear masks and don't participate in social distancing because of what he says to his own supporters."
President Vladimir Putin in a speech at the United Nations on Tuesday boasted of Russia's creation of the world's first coronavirus vaccine, though it has not completed large-scale clinical trials.
Putin in a video address to the General Assembly said that Russia was open to partnership with other countries over "the first vaccine in the world, Sputnik V."
"I repeat again that we are absolutely open and disposed for partnership," Putin said.
The Sputnik V vaccine was developed by Moscow's Gamaleya research center, and Russia announced in August that it was the world's first registered vaccine.
While the vaccine has shown promising results in early trials, Russia has not yet completed the final phase of clinical testing, in which large numbers of people receive either the vaccine or a placebo.
Nevertheless Russia has already vaccinated high-profile officials including the Defense Ministry Sergei Shoigu and Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin. Putin has said that one of his daughters was vaccinated, suffering only a mild reaction.
The Russian Direct Investment Fund that has supported the vaccine's development said last month that 20 countries had pre-ordered supplies.
Putin urged an online conference to be held in the near future with other countries "interested in cooperating on creating a vaccine against coronavirus."
"We are ready to share our experience," Putin said, offering to supply other countries with "a Russian vaccine that has shown its reliability, safety and effectiveness."
He also vaunted Russia's speed in "developing a line of test systems and medications for diagnosing and treating coronavirus."
"Our country has played an active role in global and regional efforts to fight Covid-19 and gives help to the countries that have suffered the most," he said.
He cited cases of the coronavirus among UN staff and offered to give them the Sputnik V vaccine.
"Russia is ready to give the UN staff all the necessary professional help: in particular we propose offering our vaccine for voluntary vaccination of staff of the UN and its subsidiaries," Putin said.
White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany on Tuesday defended President Donald Trump after he said that COVID-19 affects "virtually nobody" even though the death toll has passed 200,000 people in the United States.
At a White House press briefing, McEnany was asked about the rising death toll. In response, she pointed to projections that 2 million people could have died if the administration took no action against the pandemic.
"We grieve when even one life is lost," she said. "But the fact that we have come nowhere near that number is a testament to this president taking immediate action."
At that point, CNN correspondent Jim Acosta noted that Trump had recently told his supporters that COVID-19 affects "virtually nobody," referring to young people.
"Shouldn't the president be telling people the truth about this virus at his rallies?" Acosta asked.
"The president is telling people the truth," the press secretary insisted.
"He's not telling the truth," Acosta pressed.
"Jim, but you're again taking the president out of context," McEnany complained. "He was referring to young people."
"I'm not taking it out of context," the CNN correspondent fired back. "If I said he's talking about younger people then I'm not taking it out of context."
"You are taking it out of context," McEnany repeated, "because you're making an assertion that he's not giving critical information when in fact he is."
"Young people can contract the coronavirus and then spread it to older people," Acosta replied. "We've known this since the very beginning and for the president of the United States at 200,000 deaths to go out to his rallies and say something like it virtually affects nobody and in some states it's not affecting young people, that is glossing over the fact and really diminishing the fact that young people can catch this virus and spread it to older people."
"The president has never downplayed critical health information," McEnany later told reporters.
The United States is set for a strong economic rebound in the third quarter but additional spending is still needed, Treasury Secretary Steven Munchin said on Tuesday.
The comments came as Mnunchin testified along with Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell before the House Financial Services Committee amid a continuing impasse in Washington over how much to spend to revitalize the US economy as it struggles with the Covid-19 downturn.
"I believe we will see tremendous growth in the third quarter fueled by strong retail sales, housing starts, home sales, manufacturing growth and increased business activity," Mnuchin said. "America is in the midst of the fastest economic recovery from any crisis in the US."
However he acknowledged that "some industries particularly hard bit by the pandemic require additional relief."
The United States saw GDP plunge by a historic 31.7 percent annualized in the second quarter, but GDP is expected to rebound sharply thanks to states' moves to resume business even as Covid-19 remains rife.
Facing business shutdowns that caused mass layoffs, Congress passed the $2.2 trillion CARES Act in March, which included a program of loans and grants for small firms as well as extra weekly payments to the unemployed.
However those provisions have expired, and Democratic and Republican lawmakers in Washington have yet to reach an agreement on another bill, with a $500 billion measure blocked by Democrats in the Senate earlier this month.
White House economic advisor Larry Kudlow had on Monday suggested the US economic recovery was strong enough that additional spending may not be needed.
But in his remarks before the House committee, Mnuchin said President Donald Trump's administration was still ready to pass another bill.
"The president and I remain committed to providing support for American workers and business," he said. "I believe a targeted package is still needed and the administration is ready to reach a bipartisan agreement."
Dr. Anthony Fauci knocked down President Donald Trump's claims about the coronavirus affecting only older people.
The infectious disease expert apparently took umbrage to the president's assurance to rallygoers Monday in Ohio that only "elderly people with heart problems and other problems" can get sick from the COVID-19 pandemic.
“In some states, thousands of people — nobody young," Trump told his supporters. "Below the age of 18, like, nobody. They have a strong immune system, who knows? Take your hat off to the young, because they have a hell of an immune system. But it affects virtually nobody. It’s an amazing thing.”
Fauci appeared the following morning on CNN, where medical expert Sanjay Gupta took exception to the president's remarks as inaccurate and disrespectful to older Americans.
"It's very disrespectful to me," Fauci said, laughing. "Because I'm in my 70s, I'm like your father -- I could be your father, Sanjay -- so it isn't just the elderly and those with underlying conditions. It can be serious in young people. Quantitatively for sure, it's much, much less as serious as a group in young individuals."
But Fauci warned that many more Americans had underlying health conditions that could result in serious complications from a coronavirus infection.
"If you're a younger person, you know, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s and you have diabetes, obesity, hypertension, heart disease, you are in the risk category for a serious disease," Fauci said. "If you look at the number of Americans, and it's stunning who have these underlying conditions such as obesity, you know? There are somewhat 25 percent, 30 percent of the population can fall into that. Those people who have other underlying conditions are a substantial proportion of the population, so don't just think the elderly are the problem."
In a column for the Washington Post, Greg Sargent explained that Donald Trump's plan to roll out a COVID-19 vaccine before November will likely end up being a nightmare for his re-election hopes because his chaotic administration shows no signs of being capable of getting one out to the public should it become available.
Citing experts who pointed out deficiencies in the White House when it comes to implementing any initiative, Sargeant said the president is ramping up the public's expectations on pandemic relief but lacks the leadership qualities needed to institute a mass mobilization to stem the coronavirus death toll.
According to the columnist, Trump is facing two obstacles: lack of planning on what to do when the vaccine becomes available and his own incompetence as a leader -- and those two factors could come back to haunt him on November 3rd.
Writing Trump's "'October surprise' strategy of dangling a possible vaccine before or just after the election will almost certainly fail," the columnist suggested, "Whenever a vaccine is introduced, a long and complex process will follow that will require sustained, engaged, non-megalomaniacal presidential leadership, all conducted in the national interest, a concept Trump cannot begin to fathom."
Pointing out that the president has been dangling the promise of a vaccine before election day -- with the projected launch date changing from speech to speech -- Sargent said the president has painted himself into a corner if vaccine makers fail to deliver. Even if they should succeed, the president has painted the vaccine as a miracle cure that would solve everything despite experts saying masks and other precautions will still be needed before the pandemic can be brought to heel. That, the columnist asserted, will likely disappoint voters expecting to go back to their pre-COVID- 19 lives.
Then there is the problem of getting the vaccine to Americans.
As Tom Frieden, former head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, explained, "There are still a huge number of unknowns. We don’t know if the vaccine is going to work. We don’t know if it’s safe. We don’t know which vaccine will work better than the other. We don’t know which groups will be protected.”
"Then there’s the need to distribute the vaccine. Jeremy Konyndyk, a senior fellow at the Center for Global Development, tells me this will entail a 'massive and very complex logistical and production operation to get that vaccine in sufficient scale into people’s arms,'" Sargent wrote, adding that Konyndyk stated that the nation's supply chains may not currently be up to the task to make an appreciable difference.
Adding to the president's problems is his lack of credibility when it comes to the COVID-19 health crisis, making it harder for his own health officials to get Americans to participate in a mass vaccination project -- leading to little change in stemming the tide of infections.
"The very fact that he continues treating the vaccine like a pending cure-all miracle itself betrays the traits that will likely lead countless Americans not to trust him to handle this rollout," the columnist explained before adding, "Why would voters trust Trump to handle such a complex and consequential series of processes going forward, after all we’ve been through?"
