Mike Pence continues to make statements and send memos that contradict official health statements. Mr. Pence walks a thin line between what the president wants him to say about controlling the COVID-19 outbreak and what CDC doctors and Tony Fauci say is the right way to flatten the coronavirus curve.
Mr. Pence sent a memo on Saturday that said shaking hands with an infected individual is not a reason to self-isolate or take the coronavirus test. Mr. Pence thought getting a body temperature reading from reporters before he let them ask questions was the smart thing to do. But according to Dr. Fauci’s rules, Pence should be in self-isolation right now. Mike’s been around several infected individuals, and so has Trump.
Mr. Trump said his test came back negative, but not everyone believes he took the test. His doctor said he didn’t need to take the test, and Trump sent out a tweet saying he took the test at the same time. That is just one of the conflicting statements Mr. Trump makes when he talks about the COVID-19 pandemic. Health experts claim Trump turned down the CDC’s aggressive approach to slow down the virus in February, and that decision hurt a fast-track distribution of test kits.
The test kit debacle is just one administration blunder. Trump decided to close the health agency that focused on pandemics in 2018. The experts say that move will cost American lives. The effort to flatten the virus curve took a time-hit from that slow reaction. Italy had to take drastic measures because of the slow reaction to the virus.
The president doesn’t want to shut down the country the way Italy did. Taiwan and South Korea didn’t have to do that because both countries had a plan in place to dramatically slow down the spread of COVID-19 upfront.
Mr. Trump wants to get reelected, but if the U.S. economy continues to lose the GDP growth it lost in March, he may have a recession on his hands before November.
Steve Mnuchin Told the ABC News he doesn’t think a recession is in the cards for the United States. But Jerome Powell and the Feds, as well as central banks around the globe, disagree with him.
Powell just slashed interest rates by 100 basis points, and that puts interest rates at 0%. The stock market took another gut punch after Powell cut interest rates. Even Powell’s claim the Feds would pump $700 billion in capital markets didn’t give investors the confidence they need to ride out the market roller coaster.
Dil Bole Oberoi
