Donald Trump’s chickens have come home to roost
How long has “president” Donald Trump been thumbing his nose at coronavirus? He held rallies in various cities, held a large event in the Rose Garden to announce his Supreme Court nominee, and surrounded himself with family and friends at the first presidential debate. In each instance, few, if any, wore masks. Everyone now knows that Trump tested positive for COVID-19. If Malcolm X were still alive, he would say, “the chickens have come home to roost,” and indeed they have. Because Trump has never been exactly truthful in his dealings with the American people, it appears that no one is sure what is really going on with Trump.
While Trump’s doctor Sean Conley continues to paint a rosy picture, claiming that Trump has not experienced breathing problems, CNN reported that Trump has needed oxygen at least twice. At the same time, Mark Meadows, Trump’s chief of staff, reportedly told reporters: “The President’s vitals over the last 24 hours were very concerning and the next 48 hours will be critical in terms of his care. We are still not on a clear path to a full recovery.” Interestingly, Trump’s own dishonesty is the very reason he is in the hospital now. Had Trump been honest from the outset of the dangers of this disease, we would not be mourning over 200,000 lives lost, and his team would not be trying to twist the narrative even as Trump suffers from a virus he called a “hoax.”
CNN has been staying on top of this story. They talked with Dr. Sanjay Gupta, who discussed the dishonesty of Trump’s physician Conley. Gupta believes it troubling that the doctor is not giving accurate updates on Trump’s condition and that he was “purposely misleading” during his press conference. Gupta believes that providing accurate updates gives a doctor the ability to make accurate predictions on the patient’s overall wellbeing. For example, Gupta said that if Trump needed oxygen, his breathing is compromised.
The doctor said that Trump “had a fever,” but Gupta asks, “how high was that fever?” Given Trump’s preexisting conditions—obesity, heart problems, and some believe, mini-strokes—his recovery can be better predicted by the truth. Of course, we are not privy to Trump’s treatment, and it is likely that Trump himself (or whoever is speaking for him right now if he cannot) does not want the truth known.
Jake Tapper sums up well where things stand: “Trump is a symbol of his own failures.” As an exclamation point, Tapper showed a video of a press conference at the White House where Trump told a reporter to take off his mask, claiming to be unable to hear him. The reporter responded that he would speak louder, to which Trump said: “Oh, you want to be politically correct.” Trump is now suffering under his desire to be politically incorrect and to thumb his nose at years of science that told us the importance of wearing a mask. As a human being who cannot wish death on anyone, I hope he recovers, but I also know he will learn nothing from the experience.
Shirley is a former entertainment writer and has worked in the legal field for over 25 years