Tag: Trump can’t handle the truth

Trump Moves to Replace Watchdog Who Identified Critical Medical Shortages

New York Times logoThe president announced the nomination of an inspector general for the Department of Health and Human Services, who, if confirmed, would replace an acting official whose report embarrassed Mr. Trump.

WASHINGTON — President Trump moved on Friday night to replace a top official at the Department of Health and Human Services who angered him with a report last month highlighting supply shortages and testing delays at hospitals during the coronavirus pandemic.

The White House waited until after business hours to announce the nomination of a new inspector general for the department who, if confirmed, would take over for Christi A. Grimm, the principal deputy inspector general who was publicly assailed by the president at a news briefing three weeks ago.

The nomination was the latest effort by Mr. Trump against watchdog offices around his administration that have defied him. In recent weeks, he fired an inspector general involved in the inquiry that led to the president’s impeachment, nominated a White House aide to another key inspector general post overseeing virus relief spending and moved to block still another inspector general from taking over as chairman of a pandemic spending oversight panel. Continue reading.

‘You know you’re a fake!’: Trump’s temper flares when a reporter nails his key coronavirus failure

AlterNet logoCBS reporter Paula Reid drilled down Monday on one of President Donald Trump’s key failures in the response to the coronavirus pandemic, and it clearly touched a nerve.

The moment came during the evening’s White House press briefing after Trump played a propaganda-style video touting his supposed efforts to prepare for the virus, including his over-hyped restrictions on travel from China.

But Reid noted there was a crucial gap in the video. It listed nothing done he had during the month of February to prepare for the virus, after the travel restrictions but before there were detections of widespread outbreaks in the United States. The administration could have been building up capacity to treat and detect the disease, or perhaps manufacturing enough personal protective equipment for health care workers who are now in desperate need. But little progress was made, and essentially an entire month was wasted. Continue reading.

Trump Campaign Sues Over Ad Reciting His Pandemic Failures

Donald Trump’s reelection campaign filed a lawsuit Monday against a local television station in Wisconsin, accusing it of airing a campaign ad the suit calls “false and defamatory” — even though the ad accurately relays Trump’s comments.

The ad, produced by the Democratic super PAC Priorities USA, uses audio clips of Trump downplaying the new coronavirus.

The audio accompanies a chart showing the number of cases of COVID-19 exponentially growing. Continue reading.