Tag: Donald Trump

Posted on

News Round-Up: March 13, 2020

Matt Moran in ‘Stranger Hearts’ now streaming on Dekkoo
Some news items you might have missed: • Dekkoo: Matt Moran (above) stars as Billy, a smooth-talking media mogul by day/leather bar aficionado by night, who finds his life turned upside down when he’s faced with an unexpected health crisis in the new drama Stranger Hearts now streaming on the gay-centric platform. Read my review of the series here. • Axios: Louisiana is the first state to delay its primary in response to the novel coronavirus. The contest has been moved from April 4 to June 20. Arizona, Florida, Illinois and Ohio have announced their March 17 primaries will go on as scheduled. • KIT212: Don’t miss Kenneth’s weekly round-up of gay rags in the U.S. and abroad including Connor Jessup covering Attitude Magazine (below). • The Hill: Democratic Senate candidate Mark Kelly (D) has a 12-point lead over Sen. Martha McSally (R-Ariz.) in the Arizona Senate race, according to a Univision poll released Friday. Kelly garnered 48 percent support versus McSally’s 36 percent. • Snopes: At today’s press conference regarding the coronavirus, PBS Newshour’s Yamiche Alcindor asked Donald Trump about closing the National Security Council’s pandemics team in 2018. That group would have been on the ready to coordinate responses to any possible pandemics. Today, Trump denied knowing anything about the team’s dismissal.

• Buzzfeed News: Donald Trump’s announcement that the US will suspend all travel from Europe to the US for 30 days sent Americans traveling in Europe into hysteria trying to get home when he failed to mention the ban wouldn’t affect U.S. citizens. • Washington Post: Donald Trump tried to blame the current coronavirus threat on former President Barack Obama. Folks weren’t having it.

Posted on

Report: The Need To Flatter Trump Impeded Coronavirus Response

(image via public domain)
Politico reporter Dan Diamond told NPR’s Terry Gross during an episode of “Fresh Air” that infighting at the Department of Health and Human Services and the need to flatter Donald Trump impeded the response to the coronavirus. Via NPR:

In the case of [Health and Human Services Secretary] Alex Azar, he did go to the president in January. He did push past resistance from the president’s political aides to warn the president the new coronavirus could be a major problem. There were aides around Trump – Kellyanne Conway had some skepticism at times that this was something that needed to be a presidential priority.

But at the same time, Secretary Azar has not always given the president the worst-case scenario of what could happen. My understanding is he did not push to do aggressive additional testing in recent weeks, and that’s partly because more testing might have led to more cases being discovered of coronavirus outbreak, and the president had made clear – the lower the numbers on coronavirus, the better for the president, the better for his potential reelection this fall.

You can listen to the chat via NPR below. Diamond’s remarks referenced above happen around the 29:20 mark.

Posted on

Trump Met With Brazilian Official Now Diagnosed With Coronavirus

(image via Instagram/FabioWajngarten)
The Washington Post is reporting a Brazilian official who attended meetings with Donald Trump and Mike Pence at Mar-a-Lago on Saturday has tested positive for coronavirus. Fabio Wajngarten, a spokesman for Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, tested positive for covid-19, Brazilian officials said. Wajngarten posted a photo to his Instagram account where he is standing directly on Trump’s left side.

Bolsonaro has reportedly canceled his official agenda on Thursday and remains at the presidential palace. He is under medical observation, according to two people close to him who requested anonymity because the information isn’t public. Trump said he “isn’t concerned” about the development, according to a White House pool report.

Posted on

Report: Trump Waits For Son-In-Law Jared Kushner To ‘Finish Research’ Before Declaring Emergency

Donald Trump (image via White House/Public Domain)
Politico reports that Donald Trump is wary of announcing an all-out emergency regarding the coronavirus threat because he’s afraid of escalating fears ramping up even further.

Trump’s concern at this point is that going further could hamper his narrative that the coronavirus is similar to the seasonal flu, said the three people familiar with the discussions. The administration is also negotiating with Congress over a stimulus package designed to cushion the coronavirus-hampered economy. But that calculation could change in the coming weeks.

Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar is pushing for the designation but Vice President Mike Pence, who Trump tapped to lead the administration’s coronavirus response, doesn’t want Trump to act until Congress passes a stimulus package, according to two of the people.

There’s no deadline for a decision, but one of the people familiar with the talks said the task force will not give Trump its final verdict until Jared Kushner, the president’s senior adviser and son-in-law, finishes his research and comes to a conclusion himself.

So, Jared is now an expert on the coronavirus…? Or is he doing a cost-benefit analysis trying to figure out an acceptable number of Americans who can die in the pandemic? The White House cancelled the coronavirus task force briefing today, as well as Trump’s scheduled dinner with the Pences at the Naval Observatory. The White House has announced Trump will address the nation tonight at 9 pm ET regarding economic and health steps to mitigate the ongoing crisis.

Posted on

Dow Jones Enters Bear Market Territory After 11 Year Run

The 11-year Dow Jones bull market that began on March 9, 2009, under President Obama has ended under Donald Trump as the stock market has now declined 20% from recent record highs. We’re now officially in bear market territory. From NBC News:

The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed down more than 1,400 points on Wednesday, crossing firmly into bear market territory, or a 20 percent decline from a 52-week high. The losses came as the World Health Organization labeled the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic.

The S&P 500 and the Dow are currently down more than 14 percent from the record highs they hit just last month, making this the fastest drawdown from peak to decline.

Wednesday’s massive sell-off is a response to the lack of concerted policy action from President Donald Trump’s administration, which has been criticized for its mixed messaging about the best ways to address and contain the virus.

In related news, the World Health Organization on Wednesday characterized the coronavirus as a pandemic for the first time. Currently, there are more than 1,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the United States. Experts say that number that is expected to rise as testing becomes more widely available.

Posted on

Dow Drops 2,014 Points – Biggest Plunge Since 2008

(graphic via NY Times)
The Dow closed down more than 2,000 points today marking the worst point decline ever, and the worst percentage decline since December 2008. So. Much. Winning. From the Washington Post:

The stock markets suffered stunning declines Monday — with the Dow Jones industrial average losing 2014 points — as the threat of a coronavirus-fueled oil war and ongoing panic about the spreading disease grew and triggered a rare forced halt to trading early in the session.

The Dow Jones industrial average cratered 7.8 percent to close at 23,851. The S&P 500, a broader measure of stocks, shed 7.6 percent by the close and the tech-heavy Nasdaq tumbled 7.3 percent.

The New York Stock Exchange tripped the so-called “circuit breaker” at a time of relentless volatility for global markets, which have been battered for weeks as the coronavirus outbreak continues to unfold. The forced 15-minute break initially appeared to have a stabilizing effect, but selling resumed before the end of the regular trading.

The oil industry had a terrible day as ten oil producers were the worst-performing stocks in the S&P 500 thanks, in part, to the ongoing price war between Russia and Saudi Arabia. Oil prices fell 30 percent marking the biggest slide since 1991. By the way, remember: there’s a tweet for everything: Donald Trump, who has taken ALL the credit for the stock market’s performance for the past three years, was predictably defensive on Twitter. Live by the market, die by the market.

Posted on

Trump On Science: ‘Maybe I Have A Natural Ability…?’

Speaking at a press event yesterday at the Centers for Disease Control, Donald Trump told reporters doctors “say how do you know so much about this? Maybe I have a natural ability.” Because ‘natural ability’ can equal years of scientific and medical study…? Trump ‘knows so much about this’ that he repeatedly asked why people couldn’t just get a flu shot to combat coronavirus. He also suggested a new vaccine for coronavirus could be ready in “a few months” as scientists told him it could take a year and a half due to testing and human trials. Please note that when he says, “They should be given so much credit” he points both of his thumbs to himself. p.s. Why is he wearing a MAGA campaign hat while performing his official duties?

Posted on

Begala: Trump Will Dump Pence For Nikki Haley

Paul Begala (image via CNN)
Political strategist Paul Begala’s predicts Donald Trump will dump Vice President Mike Pence for the former United States Ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley. Speaking at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s (AIPAC) 2020 policy conference on Monday, Begala told the crowd “it’s a certainty” that Trump will dump Pence. “On Thursday, July 16, that’s the date the Democrat gives his or her acceptance address,” said Begala. “On that day, to interrupt that narrative, Donald Trump will call a press conference at Mar-a-Lago. He’s gonna dump Mike Pence and put Nikki Haley on the ticket to try to get those suburban moms. You watch. Guaranteed.”

Posted on

Fox Poll: All 6 Democrats Beat Trump In Head-To-Head Matchups

A new poll by Fox News got Donald Trump uber-angry as the results showed all six Democratic candidates beating him in hypothetical head-to-head match-ups. Biden and Bloomberg both beat the Donald by 8 points. Sanders trumped Trump by 7 points. The other three candidates were ahead of Trump but within the margin of error for the poll: Warren (+3 points), Buttigieg (+3) and Klobuchar (+1). In each scenario, however, there are enough undecided/third-party voters to move the race either way. Additionally, 56% of respondents believe Trump will be elected versus 34% who did not. Ten percent were unsure.

Posted on

Donald Trump: Coronavirus Is The Democrats New ‘Hoax’

While fears and the number of coronavirus cases keep growing, Donald Trump held a rally and Mike Pence – who the president put in charge of the government’s response – held a fundraiser. There are now 64 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the United States (over 85,000 worldwide) and the stock market lost over 3,500 points in one week, but Trump told his rally attendees that rising fears about the impending crisis is merely a ‘hoax’ brought by the Democrats. “Now the Democrats are politicizing the coronavirus,” Trump said. “They have no clue, they can’t even count their votes in Iowa.” “This is their new hoax,” Trump continued, adding that attacking Trump’s response to the coronavirus is now the Democratic Party’s “single talking point.” Watch the brief report from Brian Williams below.