Trump and His Detractors

This article first appeared in New English Review.


Friday's presidential press conference got heated when several reporters took shots at President Trump and Trump shot right back, telling one reporter that he was a "bad reporter" and "should be ashamed of himself". Nothing new here, but this is an opportune time to point out that while Trump and his team are working their butts off trying to save lives, they get nothing but carping from the media. When is the last time you saw a president subject himself to daily press briefings? And he has to listen to a bunch of obnoxious reporters from networks with anti-Trump agendas to grind, throw obnoxious questions up at him. I don't blame him for putting them in their place. And his side comment about the "deep State Department was spot on (Mike Pompeo excluded).

Say what you will about Trump, but he and his team are taking action. Time will tell if these are the right steps, but they are moving boldly. Travel bans and the latest restrictions at the southern border are strong measures. Similarly, the coordination between government and the private sector has been impressive. Also keep in mind that two Democrat governors, Andrew Cuomo of New York and Gavin Newsom of California, normally big critics of Trump, have praised him for his responses to the needs of their states.

That, unfortunately, doesn't keep the naysayers at CNN and MSNBC from hanging on every word Trump says ready to attack him. CNN followed up Friday's conference by immediately remarking that Dr. Anthony Fauci had a tough job trying to clean up Trump's misstatements.

By and large, the American people are coming together on this crisis very well. When I listen to people like Dr Fauci, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Vice President Pence speaking on this, I feel encouraged.

As for the Democrats in Congress, who are attacking Trump for his initial responses to the virus and the shortage of testing kits, they would do well to remember that back in the crucial days when this crisis was beginning, what were they doing? They were devoting all of their energies to impeaching Trump. That has been their contribution.

There is no question that we are going to take a huge economic hit over this. And yes, more people are going to get infected, and some will die. But the virus will pass, the economy will recover, and the deaths will hopefully be minimized by the measures being taken. A few months from now, maybe a year, the public will come to a conclusion on how Trump has handled this. I am betting that by the time the election comes in November, Trump will be smelling like a rose. Neither Joe Biden or Bernie Sanders will be able to argue that they could have handled it any better. Time may prove me all wrong, but that's how I see it today.