Tuesday, August 31, 2021

Bray by bray: What Trump said during the pandemic (August 16-31, 2020)




August 31, 2020.   U.S. total Covid cases =  6,362,017, (+35,913 which is 16.2% of current total)

August 31, 2021.  U.S. total Covid cases = 39,156,379 (+280,403)


Washington Post, 10/20/2020
This line that the United States is “rounding the turn,” which Trump also commonly expresses as “rounding the corner,” is no more true than the first time he said it. In fact, it may be less true. When he said it Aug. 31 — “hopefully, we’re rounding the final turn on that disaster given to us by China” — there were 6 million confirmed cases in the United States. Now, the total is more than 8.2 million. Nearly 17,000 more people have died. [emphasis added]


August 31, 2020.   U.S. total Covid deaths =192,247 (+591), which is 30.1% of current total

August 31, 2021.  U.S. total Covid deaths = 639.081 (+1,525)

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August 30, 2020.   U.S. total Covid cases =  6,326,184, (+33,732 which is 16.3% of current total)

August 30, 2021.  U.S. total Covid cases = 38,875,807 (+42,158)


In a concentrated predawn burst, the president posted or reposted 89 messages between 5:49 a.m. and 8:04 a.m. on Sunday on top of 18 the night before, many of them inflammatory comments or assertions about violent clashes in Portland, Ore., where a man wearing the hat of a far-right, pro-Trump group was shot and killed Saturday after a large group of Mr. Trump’s supporters traveled through the streets. He resumed on Sunday night. [emphasis added]


August 30, 2020.   U.S. total Covid deaths =191,656 (+513), which is 30.1% of current total

August 30, 2021.  U.S. total Covid deaths = 637,556 (+320)

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August 29, 2020.   U.S. total Covid cases =  6,292,467, (+44,614 which is 16.2% of current total)

August 29, 2021.  U.S. total Covid cases = 38,830,051 (+84,852)


The COVID-19 pandemic was on the mind of many attendees. Timothy Parnell, an engineer who lives in Seabrook, said Democrats’ criticism of Trump’s handling of the coronavirus is “absurd.” 
“The only way the president could have done better is if he was psychic,” Parnell said. “He took advice from the scientists; he asked for advice.”
In fact, much of Trump’s handling of the coronavirus crisis, including his recent touting of potential treatments for COVID-19, has been criticized by independent scientists.

On December 13, 2000, New Hampshire's 7-day average of new Covid cases would peak at 884.


August 29, 2020.   U.S. total Covid deaths =191,143 (+942), which is 30% of current total

August 29, 2021.  U.S. total Covid deaths = 637,036 (+535)

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August 28, 2020.   U.S. total Covid cases =  6,247,853, (+49,598 which is 16.1% of current total)

August 28, 2021.  U.S. total Covid cases = 38,745,199 (+187,502)


Washington Post, 8/28/2020
Even before Air Force One touched down on July 31, the fallout was apparent: Five Secret Service agents already on the ground had to be replaced after one tested positive for the coronavirus and the others working in proximity were presumed to be infected, according to people familiar with the situation. 
The previously unreported episode is one of a series of examples of how Trump’s insistence on traveling and holding campaign-style events amid the pandemic has heightened the risks for the people who safeguard his life, intensifying the strain on the Secret Service.

It gets worse.  Much worse.

Washington Post, 11/13/2020


August 28, 2020.   U.S. total Covid deaths =190,181 (+1,130), which is 29.9% of current total

August 28, 2021.  U.S. total Covid deaths = 636,491 (+1,757)

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Screenshot from Post video

August 27, 2020.   U.S. total Covid cases =  6,198,155, (+46,299 which is 16% of current total)

August 27, 2021.  U.S. total Covid cases = 38,552,183 (+187,439)


Washington Post, 8/27/2021
More than 1,500 supporters poured onto the South Lawn for his formal acceptance speech to cap the Republican National Convention, and most were not wearing masks, even though they were seated closely together in white folding chairs. The overwhelming majority of guests were not administered rapid coronavirus tests, 
Trump campaign and convention officials said, despite their relative proximity to the president and other White House officials. A White House official said it was logistically unfeasible to test such a large number of people.

August 27, 2020.   U.S. total Covid deaths =189,061 (+1,147), which is 29.7% of current total

August 27, 2021.  U.S. total Covid deaths = 634,734 (+1,214)

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New York Times (red arrows added)


August 26, 2020.   U.S. total Covid cases =  6,151,856, (+45,122 which is 16% of current total)

August 26, 2021.  U.S. total Covid cases = 38,364,770 (+170,722)


It was exactly six months ago Wednesday when the spread of the coronavirus in the United States had become too significant for President Trump to wave away. He and several members of the team planning the administration’s response held a news briefing designed to inform the public about the virus and, more important, to allay concerns. 
This was the briefing in which Trump made one of his most wildly incorrect assertions about what the country could expect. 
“The level that we’ve had in our country is very low,” Trump said, referring to new confirmed infections, “and those people are getting better, or we think that in almost all cases they’re better, or getting. We have a total of 15. We took in some from Japan — you heard about that — because they’re American citizens, and they’re in quarantine.”


August 26, 2020.   U.S. total Covid deaths =187,912 (+1,309), which is 29.7% of current total

August 26, 2021.  U.S. total Covid deaths = 633,520 (+1,472)

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August 25, 2020.   U.S. total Covid cases =  6,106,744, (+44,841 which is 16% of current total)

August 25, 2021.  U.S. total Covid cases = 38,193,758 (+150,004)


And how did that work out?

NBC News, 11/24/2020
Nursing home case numbers have also been surging in rural areas, with spikes in the Great Plains. Facilities in South Dakota reported 253 new infections among residents during the week that ended Nov. 8 — three times the number reported a month earlier. And across the country, a large number of facilities are reporting staff shortages, and some are still struggling to acquire personal protective equipment and reliable testing.


August 25, 2020.   U.S. total Covid deaths = 186,621 (+1,181), which is 29.6% of current total

August 25, 2021.  U.S. total Covid deaths = 631,050 (+1,406)


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August 24, 2020.   U.S. total Covid cases =  6,061,903, (+38,771 which is 15.9% of current total)

August 24, 2021.  U.S. total Covid cases = 38,043,754 (+266,147)





August 24, 2020.   U.S. total Covid deaths = 185,440 (+611), which is 29.4% of current total

August 24, 2021.  U.S. total Covid deaths = 629,644 (+1,359)

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August 23, 2020.   U.S. total Covid cases =  6,023,132, (+34,877 which is 15.9% of current total)

August 23, 2021.  U.S. total Covid cases = 37,777,607 (+40,573)


The decision to issue an emergency use authorization, which President Trump’s press secretary heralded ahead of time as a “major therapeutic breakthrough,” likely falls far short of that description — and could generate intense controversy inside the administration and the broader scientific community.  [emphasis added] 
So-called convalescent plasma is among a host of potential therapeutics that have been undergoing testing in clinical trials. The hope is that infusions of antibody-rich plasma from those who have recovered from Covid-19 can be injected into ill patients, kickstarting their immune system and allowing them to fight off the virus until they can generate their own antibodies.


August 23, 2020.   U.S. total Covid deaths = 184,829 (+527), which is 29.4% of current total

August 23, 2021.  U.S. total Covid deaths = 628,285 (+185)

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Trump continues to obsess about November 3.



August 22, 2020.   U.S. total Covid cases =  5,988,255, (+40,408 which is 15.8% of current total)

August 22, 2021.  U.S. total Covid cases = 37,744,654 (+87,011)


Washingotn Post, 8/22/2020
“The deep state, or whoever, over at the FDA is making it very difficult for drug companies to get people in order to test the vaccines and therapeutics,” he said on Twitter. “Obviously, they are hoping to delay the answer until after November 3rd. Must focus on speed, and saving lives!” He tagged FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn in the tweet.

August 22, 2020.   U.S. total Covid deaths = 184,302 (+1,092), which is 29.3% of current total

August 22, 2021.  U.S. total Covid deaths = 628,100 (+469)

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Now pinch-hitting for Donald Trump....Mike Pence


Washington Post, 8/21/2020
Vice President Pence said he “couldn’t be more proud” of President Trump’s leadership during the coronavirus pandemic, and said during a “Good Morning America” appearance that if Democratic nominee Joe Biden had been in charge, the losses — 171,000 dead and counting under the current administration — would have been worse.

Offered up just before things really start to get worse.  Much worse.


August 21, 2020.   U.S. total Covid cases =  5,947,847, (+67,483 which is 15.8% of current total)

August 21, 2021.  U.S. total Covid cases = 37,657,643 (+199,606)


August 21, 2020.   U.S. total Covid deaths = 183,210 (+1,207), which is 29.2% of current total

August 21, 2021.  U.S. total Covid deaths = 627,631 (+1,532)


And now we have this Trump legacy to deal with:  A pandemic of the GOP unvaccinated.

One of the main factors driving differences in COVID-19 vaccination rates across the country is partisanship. Our surveys consistently find that Democrats are much more likely to report having been vaccinated than Republicans, and Republicans are much more likely to say that they definitely do not want to get vaccinated.

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Now pinch-hitting for Donald Trump....Robert Redfield


Headline from CNN, 8/20/2021
“Interventions are going to have a lag of three or four weeks,” Redfield said in an interview with the Journal of the American Medical Association. 
“You and I are going to see the cases continue to drop. And then hopefully this week and next week, you’re going to start seeing the death rate really start to drop again.”

August 20, 2020.   U.S. total Covid cases =  5,880,364, (+47,203 which is 15.6% of current total)

August 20, 2021.  U.S. total Covid cases = 37,445,400 (+159,767)


Worldometers (arrows added)


August 20, 2020.   U.S. total Covid deaths = 183,210 (+1,207), which is 28.8% of current total

August 20, 2021.  U.S. total Covid deaths = 626,099 (+1,532)


TheBodyPro, 9/28/2020
It would’ve been nice if the clash had been only the latest instance of the head of the CDC once again countering the president’s wild and erroneous COVID claims with hard science. After all, the agency has long been considered among the world’s premiere resources for science and health guidelines untainted by politics. 
But, in fact, it was perhaps the first time since COVID began that Redfield appeared explicitly to make a scientific statement in opposition to the wishes of the president. And, in interviews with TheBodyPro, several public health advocates and experts—many from the world of HIV—said that Redfield’s decision to publicly stand up for science came too little, too late. 
In fact, Redfield—seemingly cowed by Trump—walked back his assertions shortly thereafter.

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Trump continues to idiotically hammer away at New Zealand.



August 19, 2020.   U.S. total Covid cases =  5,841,364, (+46,772 which is 15.6% of current total)

August 19, 2021.  U.S. total Covid cases = 37,296,398 (+162,724)


"New Zealand had a big outbreak, and other countries that were held up to try and make us look not as good as we should look, because we have done an incredible job," Trump said at a news briefing on Wednesday. "They’re having a lot of outbreaks, but they’ll be able to put them out, and we put them out."




August 19, 2020.   U.S. total Covid deaths = 180,869 (+1,279), which is 28.8% of current total

August 19, 2021.  U.S. total Covid deaths = 624,367 (+1,087)

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August 18, 2020.   U.S. total Covid cases =  5,794,592, (+48,676 which is 15.6% of current total)

August 18, 2021.  U.S. total Covid cases = 37,133,674 (+144,297)


Washington Post, 8/18/2020
“You’ve seen what’s going on in New Zealand?” Trump said of the island nation, which went months without any new covid-19 cases. “Big surge in New Zealand. It’s terrible. We don’t want that.” 
New Zealand has seen the virus return this month — but on Monday, it recorded just nine new cases. On Tuesday, 13 more were reported. The United States, where at least 167,000 have now died, has recently averaged around 50,000 new cases each day.

As of August 17, 2021, New Zealand has reported a total of 2,916 Covid cases.  The U.S. reported nearly 50 times that many yesterday.


August 18, 2020.   U.S. total Covid deaths = 179,590 (+1,320), which is 28.8% of current total

August 18, 2021.  U.S. total Covid deaths = 623,237 (+696)

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August 17 update starts here

August 17, 2020.   U.S. total Covid cases =  5,745,916, (+39,781 which is 15.5% of current total)

August 17, 2021.  U.S. total Covid cases = 36,980,215 (+252,369)





August 17, 2020.   U.S. total Covid deaths = 178,270 (+786), which is 28.6% of current total

August 17, 2021.  U.S. total Covid deaths = 622,244 (+704)

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August 16 update starts here




August 16, 2020.   U.S. total Covid cases =  5,706,135, (+42,137 which is 15.5% of current total)

August 16, 2021.  U.S. total Covid cases = 36,727,846 (+43,818)


President Donald Trump said Monday that the U.S. may be able to get the new coronavirus outbreak under control by July or August at the earliest
Trump, speaking to reporters in the White House briefing room, also said his administration may look at lockdowns for “certain areas” or “hot spots” in the nation. But the president said he wasn’t considering a full national lockdown. “At this moment, no, we’re not,” Trump said.


August 16, 2020.   U.S. total Covid deaths = 177,434 (+662), which is 28.5% of current total

August 16, 2021.  U.S. total Covid deaths = 621,228 (+655)


Related series of posts: Day by day:  What Trump said about the pandemic. 

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