Three journalists from The New York Times reviewed more than 260,000 words spoken by President Trump during the pandemic. Here’s what they learned.


At his White House news briefing on the coronavirus on March 19, President Trump offered high praise for the commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, Stephen Hahn. “He’s worked, like, probably as hard or harder than anybody,” Mr. Trump said. Then he corrected himself: “Other than maybe Mike Pence — or me.”

On March 27, Mr. Trump boasted about marshalling federal resources to fight the virus, ignoring his early failures and smearing previous administrations. “Nobody has done anything like we’ve been able to do,” he claimed. “And everything I took over was a mess. It was a broken country in so many ways. In so many ways.”

And on April 13, Mr. Trump insisted that governors were so satisfied with his performance they hadn’t asked for anything on a recent conference call. “There wasn’t even a statement of like, ‘We think you should do this or that,’” he said. “I heard it was, like, just a perfect phone call.”

The self-regard, the credit-taking, the audacious rewriting of recent history to cast himself as the hero of the pandemic rather than the president who was slow to respond: Such have been the defining features of Mr. Trump’s use of the bully pulpit during the coronavirus outbreak.

Continue reading @  The New York Times.

260,000 Words, Full Of Self-Praise, From Trump On The Virus

Three journalists from The New York Times reviewed more than 260,000 words spoken by President Trump during the pandemic. Here’s what they learned.


At his White House news briefing on the coronavirus on March 19, President Trump offered high praise for the commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, Stephen Hahn. “He’s worked, like, probably as hard or harder than anybody,” Mr. Trump said. Then he corrected himself: “Other than maybe Mike Pence — or me.”

On March 27, Mr. Trump boasted about marshalling federal resources to fight the virus, ignoring his early failures and smearing previous administrations. “Nobody has done anything like we’ve been able to do,” he claimed. “And everything I took over was a mess. It was a broken country in so many ways. In so many ways.”

And on April 13, Mr. Trump insisted that governors were so satisfied with his performance they hadn’t asked for anything on a recent conference call. “There wasn’t even a statement of like, ‘We think you should do this or that,’” he said. “I heard it was, like, just a perfect phone call.”

The self-regard, the credit-taking, the audacious rewriting of recent history to cast himself as the hero of the pandemic rather than the president who was slow to respond: Such have been the defining features of Mr. Trump’s use of the bully pulpit during the coronavirus outbreak.

Continue reading @  The New York Times.

13 comments:

  1. He will be re-elected. He's a master snake-oil salesman.

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  2. And he will pull out all thr stops to achieve this like attacking China. For he knows the stakes could not be higher for him; he faces arrest if defeated.

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  3. Barry is correct, Trump will stop at nothing to get reelected. The presidency protects him from the Southern District of New York and its mountain of cases. That Trump claims he's handled the pandemic well is truly laughable. Fortunately, many states, including Kentucky (I know, it's weird), have been blessed with decent governors; they have filled the void created by a dangerous, incompetent cretin who likes to muse about injecting disinfectant on live television. Trump will only be reelected if Biden and the Democratic Party fumble a few yards from the end zone. Don't put it past them. Victory depends on Biden and his running mate's ability to energize the black vote in swing state cities, in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Detroit, Milwaukee, Miami, Charlotte, and Atlanta. The presidential election will be won or lost in those key towns.

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  4. Biden's gaffes and past history of inappropriate behaviour with women do not help either.

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  5. Barry,
    Trump faces arrest? On what grounds? Is this credible or the arrest Hilary nonsense all over again?

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    1. David

      Possibly for obstuctoing justice as the Mueller inquiry concluded. Could also face arrest for serial fraud and attacks on women. Cannot be touched at the moment as POTUS is immmune from prosecution.

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    2. David,

      This article lists some of his crimes: www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/may/19/will-donald-trump-end-up-in-prison-arwa-mahdawi

      I think the logic is something like, in order to avoid the "very, very nasty pattern that developing countries have fallen into..." you pardon Nixon.

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  6. Trump will get elected. Even the Democrats know it hence why they've let 'creepy Joe' Biden to run against him. You think Trump is bad? You ain't seen nothing yet! Btw, I see one of the good guys , Ilhan Omar, has held up Maggie Thatcher as an inspiration. That should confuse the Irish Americans a bit more! Lol

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  7. Pretty sure Biden has been displaying early Alzheimer's not to mention his 'tactile' way with womenfolk.

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  8. Barry,
    The Mueller report has been mocked to the extent I'd be stunned if he were indicted for obstruction. The Russian nonsense backfired for the Democrats to the extent, that if not for his handling of covid, it could have got him re-elected.
    Julia
    His crimes will be plentiful, a head of state committing crimes and a head or ex head of state being charged are two different things.

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  9. David

    The Mueller Report in not exonerating Trump shows that there is no smoke wihtout fire.

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  10. Barry,
    It's not the prosecutors job to exonerate, It's to produce evidence

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  11. Creepy joe....he is a pervert

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