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Election 2020| Oct 27, 2020, 05:56pm EDT |
White House Lists 'Ending' Covid-19 Pandemic As Trump Accomplishment
Tommy BeerForbes Staff
The White House science office lists "ending the Covid-19 pandemic" as one of the top accomplishments of the Trump administration's first term despite the fact that new coronavirus cases are rising precipitously throughout the country, resulting in many hospitals nationwide approaching maximum capacity.
President Donald Trump walks on the south lawn of the White House on October 20, 2020 in Washington, ... [+] DC. Trump is headed to a rally in Pennsylvania, first lady Melania Trump was to join him, but does not feel well and is recovering from Covid-19, he last event was August's Republican National Convention speech at the White House. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
In a press release and report released Tuesday touting the Trump Administration's "Science and Technology Accomplishments from First Term", the White House science office listed ending the pandemic as the top accomplishment, with laudatory quotes from Ivanka Trump and the office's director, Dr. Kelvin Droegemeier.
The United States reported more than 83,000 new coronavirus infections Friday, the highest single-day total ever recorded in the U.S., and over the past week, there has been an average of 71,092 new cases per day (an increase of roughly 40% from the daily average just two weeks earlier).
Hospitalizations and Covid-related deaths (often a lagging indicator) are also on the rise in most states, with more than 800 Americans dying per day over the last week.
Yet, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy asserted in the report that the Trump Administration has taken "several actions to engage scientists in academia, industry, and government to understand and defeat this disease."
The report declares that the president has "solidified America's standing" as the most scientifically advanced nation "the world has ever known" and that the 56-page document summarizes "only a small fraction of the many achievements" made during four years Trump has been in office.
Key Background:
Despite the alarming increase in cases that are greatly concerning to health experts nationwide, President Trump has continued to downplay the pandemic's severity. Last Friday, at an event in Florida, the president told his supporters that the coronavirus pandemic was going to "end quickly" and that "we're rounding the turn, we're rounding the corner, we're rounding the corner beautifully." At a campaign rally in Pennsylvania on Monday, Trump claimed, "It's ending anyway. We are rounding the turn. It's ending anyway." On Saturday, he stated, "We're rounding the turn. We're doing great. Our numbers are incredible." The president also continues to argue that Americans are "tired" of hearing about Covid-19 and that media outlets are spending too much time covering outbreaks and resulting fatalities. "Until November 4th, Fake News Media is going full on Covid, Covid, Covid. We are rounding the turn," Trump tweeted Tuesday morning.
Critical Quote:
"More than 225,000 people in this country are dead. More than 100,000 small businesses have closed. And what's his closing argument? That people are too focused on Covid," former President Barack Obama said of Trump on Tuesday. "Covid, Covid, Covid, he's complaining. He's jealous of Covid's media coverage. If he had been focused on Covid from the beginning, cases wouldn't be reaching new record highs across the country this week."
Tangent:
Earlier this month, Dr. Anthony Fauci, one of the government's top infectious disease specialists, said it is "absolutely essential" that the U.S. government is fully transparent with its citizens regarding the severity of the pandemic and that a lack of transparency leads to a loss of confidence within the citizenry. "If you're going to make scientific-based public health recommendations, everything has got to be transparent," Fauci stated. Last week, Trump attacked Fauci, calling him "a disaster," and alleged that Americans are "tired of hearing Fauci and these idiots."
Big Number:
8.8 million: As of Tuesday afternoon, more than 8,816,700 people in the U.S. have tested positive for Covid-19, according to a New York Times database.
Dr. Fauci: Not Being Transparent About Covid-19 Because 'You Don't Want To Alarm People' Is 'Totally Nonsense' (Forbes)
Fauci: National Mask Mandate May Be Needed Amid Covid-19 Spike (Forbes)
White House science office takes credit for 'ending' pandemic as infections mount (Politico)
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Tommy Beer
I'm a New York-based news desk reporter for Forbes covering sports, politics and business. Please feel free to contact me via email (tsbeer7 [@] gmail.com) or Twitter
I'm a New York-based news desk reporter for Forbes covering sports, politics and business. Please feel free to contact me via email (tsbeer7 [@] gmail.com) or Twitter (@TommyBeer).