by Pa Rock
Citizen Journalist
The news stories yesterday morning were not pleasing to Donald John Trump, so he determined to do what he always does when the news cycle isn't going his way - he changed the topic.
Yesterday morning the country was preparing to surpass ninety-thousand COVID-19 deaths, a big number certain to command massive amounts of newsprint and public attention - and, it had just been revealed that Trump had fired the State Department's Inspector General at the request of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo as a result of the Inspector General investigating complaints related to Pompeo's use of government personnel for personal services (like washing dishes and dog-walking) - and possibly subverting the role of Congress in a recent massive arms sale to the Saudis.
Pompeo had declined to cooperate with the inquiry and then asked Trump to fire the man conducting the investigation, which Trump gleefully did - his fourth firing an an Inspector General in just five weeks.
Yup, it was shaping up to be a good time to change the subject!
To achieve that goal, Trump almost nonchalantly announced to the press yesterday morning that he had begun taking the drug hydroxychloroquine and a zinc supplement in order to prevent catching the deadly coronavirus. Trump had begun touting the unproven benefits of that treatment several weeks ago but had seemed to back down on the advocacy for its use after initial studies began showing that it was likely to have no significant impact - and could even be dangerous and/or fatal to people with certain preconditions - including advanced age and obesity.
But nevertheless Trump, who confuses a big ego with a big brain, persisted and used the drug anyway - or at least he says he did. He told astonished journalists that he had been taking it for ten days.
Trump's personal physician, a Navy Commander by the name of Sean P. Conley, immediately coughed up a letter stating that he and Trump had discussions regarding the use of hydroxychloroquine and ". . . we concluded the potential benefit from treatment outweighs the relative risks." Dr. Coley's letter, however, failed to state whether he had actually prescribed the treatment for Trump or not. (At some point a medical licensing board may want clarification on that point.)
And the press was off and running with the latest Trump outrage. Mission accomplished!
Soon after Fox News host Neil Cavuto told his viewers not to take the unproven treatment because "it will kill you."
Trump exploded at Cavuto and Fox News on Twitter, lamenting that Fox had begun turning against him since the death of Roger Ailes three years ago - and that he was looking for another news outlet. And in several bursts of fire at Cavuto, Trump labeled him an "idiot," "foolish," "gullible," and "an asshole."
Later in the day House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, whose tongue was so far back into her cheek that it probably looked as though we was nursing a big old chaw of Redman Tobacco, took a well aimed shot at Trump when she said on Anderson Cooper 360:
So far Trump has held his fire on Pelosi, having learned the hard way that she, too, can change a headline!
But amidst the noise and confusion, Donald Trump controlled most of the headlines for the day, except for when Pelosi mocked his weight, and that had been his intention all along.
Citizen Journalist
The news stories yesterday morning were not pleasing to Donald John Trump, so he determined to do what he always does when the news cycle isn't going his way - he changed the topic.
Yesterday morning the country was preparing to surpass ninety-thousand COVID-19 deaths, a big number certain to command massive amounts of newsprint and public attention - and, it had just been revealed that Trump had fired the State Department's Inspector General at the request of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo as a result of the Inspector General investigating complaints related to Pompeo's use of government personnel for personal services (like washing dishes and dog-walking) - and possibly subverting the role of Congress in a recent massive arms sale to the Saudis.
Pompeo had declined to cooperate with the inquiry and then asked Trump to fire the man conducting the investigation, which Trump gleefully did - his fourth firing an an Inspector General in just five weeks.
Yup, it was shaping up to be a good time to change the subject!
To achieve that goal, Trump almost nonchalantly announced to the press yesterday morning that he had begun taking the drug hydroxychloroquine and a zinc supplement in order to prevent catching the deadly coronavirus. Trump had begun touting the unproven benefits of that treatment several weeks ago but had seemed to back down on the advocacy for its use after initial studies began showing that it was likely to have no significant impact - and could even be dangerous and/or fatal to people with certain preconditions - including advanced age and obesity.
But nevertheless Trump, who confuses a big ego with a big brain, persisted and used the drug anyway - or at least he says he did. He told astonished journalists that he had been taking it for ten days.
Trump's personal physician, a Navy Commander by the name of Sean P. Conley, immediately coughed up a letter stating that he and Trump had discussions regarding the use of hydroxychloroquine and ". . . we concluded the potential benefit from treatment outweighs the relative risks." Dr. Coley's letter, however, failed to state whether he had actually prescribed the treatment for Trump or not. (At some point a medical licensing board may want clarification on that point.)
And the press was off and running with the latest Trump outrage. Mission accomplished!
Soon after Fox News host Neil Cavuto told his viewers not to take the unproven treatment because "it will kill you."
Trump exploded at Cavuto and Fox News on Twitter, lamenting that Fox had begun turning against him since the death of Roger Ailes three years ago - and that he was looking for another news outlet. And in several bursts of fire at Cavuto, Trump labeled him an "idiot," "foolish," "gullible," and "an asshole."
Later in the day House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, whose tongue was so far back into her cheek that it probably looked as though we was nursing a big old chaw of Redman Tobacco, took a well aimed shot at Trump when she said on Anderson Cooper 360:
"He's our president, and I would rather he not be taking something that has not been approved by scientists, especially in his age group and his, shall we say, weight group . . . morbidly obese, they say."
So far Trump has held his fire on Pelosi, having learned the hard way that she, too, can change a headline!
But amidst the noise and confusion, Donald Trump controlled most of the headlines for the day, except for when Pelosi mocked his weight, and that had been his intention all along.
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