8 things Trump is talking about instead of the coronavirus surge

As the United States set a record for the most new coronavirus cases in a single day, Donald Trump was busy tweeting about everything but the pandemic.

According to tracking data compiled by Johns Hopkins University, the United States recorded 50,700 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday — the most daily cases yet. More than 2.6 million Americans have tested positive for the virus to date.

Donald Trump spent the day tweeting about his upcoming fireworks celebration, his support for Confederate memorials, his disdain for the Black Lives Matter movement, and cable news ratings. He tweeted nothing about the massive spike in COVID-19 cases.

At 5:53 a.m., he mocked CNN for ratings that are “so far below @FoxNews (thank you President Trump!) that you can barely find them.” Minutes later, he congratulated “Fox & Friends” for its large viewership.

At 6:19 a.m., Trump highlighted his “Executive Order to protect Monuments, Statutes, etc.” from vandalism by civil rights activists, claiming, “Many people now under arrest!”

At 6:31 a.m., he retweeted his own Tuesday night threat to veto the entire defense budget if it includes a provision that would require the renaming of military bases currently named for Confederate figures. The tweet also included a racist slur against the provision’s author, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA).

At 7:30 a.m., he falsely claimed that Joe Biden was given the questions in advance of a Tuesday press conference.

At 8:48 a.m., Trump complained about the Black Lives Matter movement and a proposed plan to “paint a big, expensive, yellow Black Lives Matter sign on Fifth Avenue” in front of Trump Tower in New York City, “denigrating this luxury Avenue.” He urged city police to censor the “symbol of hate.”

At 12:55 p.m., Trump bragged about his upcoming “Salute to America” Fourth of July event in Washington, D.C., which he is insisting on holding despite warnings from public health experts and local elected officials that it could increase spread of the coronavirus.

At 1:52 p.m., Trump shared a campaign ad and fundraising solicitation for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

At 4:10 p.m., he posted the first in a series of tweets celebrating the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement on trade, which went into effect that day.

Other tweets and retweets included a warning about voter fraud, a proclamation about American workers, and the words “THE LONE WARRIOR!”

While Trump said nothing about the public health crisis on Twitter, he was asked about the pandemic in a television interview. In response, he repeated his unsubstantiated belief that the virus will simply “disappear.”

“We’re headed back in a very strong fashion,” he told Fox Business. “And I think we’re going to be very good with the coronavirus.”

Joe Biden slammed Trump’s “promises and predictions and wishful thinking, pulled out of thin air” on Wednesday, tweeting: “Mr. President, this pandemic isn’t about you. It’s about the health and well-being of the American people.”

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.