[ali k]

Not really a surprise but the campaign strategy is to pivot any blame or consequences of Covid back to China. I assume that’s what he’ll use the press conferences for relentlessly now.

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/04/24/gop-memo-anti-china-coronavirus-207244

[SA Chris]

Dr Birx needs to become a poker player. Her ability to not flinch is impressive.

[Nigel]

Not really a surprise but the campaign strategy is to pivot any blame or consequences of Covid back to China. I assume that’s what he’ll use the press conferences for relentlessly now.

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/04/24/gop-memo-anti-china-coronavirus-207244

Unsurprising really. Perhaps the Dems' retort could be "why does the "exceptional nation" (sic) need to rely on China to solve pandemics for them?".

Not as trite as it first seems. Firstly China has provably dealt with the virus much better than the US, despite having no warning, so it moves the focus to where it should be - onto the inadequate US response. Secondly, if you replace "the virus" with "Al Qaeda" then I suspect that the world's policeman would have been straight into China without invitation to "solve" the problem. Highlights that perhaps not all problems can be solved via the traditional Republican bellicosity.  Why not give co-operation a try?

[TobyD]

Not really a surprise but the campaign strategy is to pivot any blame or consequences of Covid back to China. I assume that’s what he’ll use the press conferences for relentlessly now.

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/04/24/gop-memo-anti-china-coronavirus-207244

Unsurprising really. Perhaps the Dems' retort could be "why does the "exceptional nation" (sic) need to rely on China to solve pandemics for them?".
Not as trite as it first seems. Firstly China has provably dealt with the virus much better than the US, despite having no warning, so it moves the focus to where it should be - onto the inadequate US response. ... Why not give co-operation a try?

I'd suggest that none of us know how well China is really dealing with the virus,  I'd expect any information coming out of the country to be heavily massaged.  However I agree that the US government has been utterly negligent in preparation and response. They've had a much easier job to do than the UK outside the major coastal cities as many states have far lower population densities and transport hubs, and in some places its still gone badly wrong.  Its clearly in significant part Trump's fault for running a totally dysfunctional administration and closing down all their pandemic preparations that Obama put in place.  However I think id be wary about cooperating with China who tried their best to cover the whole thing up at the outset,  and continue to prosecute some sort of ethnic cleansing strategy against the Uigur Muslim population. 

[andy popp]

Except that if one of Trump's tactics is going to be to repeat "But China" ad nauseam then the Dems need a retort to that.

[TobyD]

Except that if one of Trump's tactics is going to be to repeat "But China" ad nauseam then the Dems need a retort to that.

But even if they have one, such as that Trump spent January and  February praising them, Trump's base wont be listening.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/apr/29/donald-trump-coronavirus-response-elections-2020?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Copy_to_clipboard

Biden is going to have to pull something very special out of the bag for Trump not to win a second term. 

[andy popp]

Trump's base wont be listening. 

The base is in some ways irrelevant. It's not in play and is in any case not on its own large enough to win him the election. Other constituencies are far more important.

[Offwidth]

At this rate GOP must be getting very worried. He is attacking Fox news now.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/apr/29/fox-news-trump-democratic-talking-points

[mrjonathanr]

A quote worth sharing, especially if you like Mel Brooks (reported in grauniad)
]

After Trump’s disinfectant comments, Beppe Severgnini, a columnist for Italy’s Corriere della Sera, said in a TV interview: “Trying to get into Donald Trump’s head is more difficult than finding a vaccine for coronavirus. First he decided on a lockdown and then he encouraged protests against the lockdown that he promoted. It’s like a Mel Brooks film.”

[Andy F]

https://twitter.com/McJesse/status/824722071657836544?s=19

Genius 

[TobyD]

Trump appears to have failed to understand that malarial prophylaxis doesn't work with all known viruses. 

For fucks sake it never fails to depress me how anyone can  support anyone this stupid. 

[tomtom]

He’s beyond comment.

[SA Chris]

Bet he isn't actually taking it, just been asked to say so by one if cronies in the Pharma industry.

Hope he is taking it actually, has some great known side effects, actually nasty stuff.

[ali k]

The fact that his doctor is supporting it also brings the medical profession into disrepute. Whatever representative body they have in the US (BMA or RCGP equivalent) should be condemning this in the strongest terms. I don’t know if they even have something similar over there though, probably not.

[moose]

Trump appears to have failed to understand that malarial prophylaxis doesn't work with all known viruses. 

For fucks sake it never fails to depress me how anyone can  support anyone this stupid.

I feel uneasy wishing ill on anyone, but as a lover of irony I could see the funny side of Trump being hospitalised with hydroxychloroquine's side effects (heart palpitations / arrhythmia).

[andy popp]

Yes, the American Medical Association.

[nai]

I feel uneasy wishing ill on anyone, but as a lover of irony I could see the funny side of Trump being hospitalised with hydroxychloroquine's side effects (heart palpitations / arrhythmia).

And then picking up covid from the hospital

[mrjonathanr]

'Taking'? What does that mean? 1 microgram  every 7 days?

[SA Chris]

homeopathic malarial.

[moose]

I feel uneasy wishing ill on anyone, but as a lover of irony I could see the funny side of Trump being hospitalised with hydroxychloroquine's side effects (heart palpitations / arrhythmia).

And then picking up covid from the hospital

But having his life saved by the attention of a female Mexican doctor.

[tomtom]

I feel uneasy wishing ill on anyone, but as a lover of irony I could see the funny side of Trump being hospitalised with hydroxychloroquine's side effects (heart palpitations / arrhythmia).

And then picking up covid from the hospital

But having his life saved by the attention of a female Mexican doctor. plasma from a recovered Mexican illegal immigrant

[nai]

I feel uneasy wishing ill on anyone, but as a lover of irony I could see the funny side of Trump being hospitalised with hydroxychloroquine's side effects (heart palpitations / arrhythmia).

And then picking up covid from the hospital

But having his life saved by the attention of a female Mexican doctor.

haha, I almost typed "picked up covid from a Mexican nurse".

[Oldmanmatt]

I feel uneasy wishing ill on anyone, but as a lover of irony I could see the funny side of Trump being hospitalised with hydroxychloroquine's side effects (heart palpitations / arrhythmia).

And then picking up covid from the hospital

But having his life saved by the attention of a female Mexican doctor.

Of African and Chinese descent...

[Offwidth]

Long overdue.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/may/26/trump-twitter-fact-check-warning-label

[andy popp]

Long overdue.

Agreed. Some journalists (mostly women) have recently stepped up to the plate but they should have been doing this much sooner in press conferences: "But, Sir, that isn't true" (or even better, "But, Sir, that's a lie")