by It looks like Donald Trump has finally figured out that his only chance is to actually act to help make the pandemic actually get better, and substantially better as in what has been going on in most of Europe and East Asia. That is the only way he will get his sustained economic growth that he has had on his mind as the key to getting reelected.So in his briefing last night he both stopped repeating fantasies about everything being great and the virus just disappearing, blah blah. He actually admitted it is likely to get worse before it gets better. He also did probably the most important single thing he can do: he clearly and publicly supported the public wearing of masks, which indeed might actually get things under control, if his followers pay attention to him and start wearing
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So in his briefing last night he both stopped repeating fantasies about everything being great and the virus just disappearing, blah blah. He actually admitted it is likely to get worse before it gets better. He also did probably the most important single thing he can do: he clearly and publicly supported the public wearing of masks, which indeed might actually get things under control, if his followers pay attention to him and start wearing masks.
Now, he undercut that by not wearing a mask himself when going out to the briefing, although he had one in his pocket to wave around at one point. And he is still handing out fantasies about the availability of various kinds of covid-relevant medical equipment around the country. And while suddenly also making some noises about taking "responsibility," he also seems to still put most of it on governors. And we also have him apparently still supporting axing funding for testing and other such things, although there were hints in the briefing that he might back off that in the ongoing negotiations with Congress over the next, and probably final before the election, package. So, he is not at all doing all he could and should to combat the virus.
But he did make a couple of big moves, especially on the mask issue. If in fact the pandemic slows soon and actually gets seriously under control by November, with a booming economy by then, the race will be a lot closer than it is now, and Trump will have done the best thing he could to get reelected. But it is a long way still to November, and darned near anything can happen. That is really the bottom line.
Oh, for the next two days I shall be totally occupied chairing the conference I announced in an earlier post that is happening online.
Barkley Rosser