On September 1, 2020, the Trump administration announced that it would not join international efforts to develop a vaccine. Managed by the World Health Organization, contribution nations would have access to a portfolio of potential vaccines to ensure access to whichever ones are deemed most effective. In a worst case scenario, if US efforts to develop a vaccine were to fail, they would be left without an alternative.
The administration announced its withdrawal from the WHO the previous July, due to their belief that the organization is too “China-centric.”
On the day the decision was announced, the United States totaled 6,247,527 cases and 188,874 deaths.
An Atlantic report from September, 2020 revealed that, while in France, Trump refused to visit a cemetery of American soldiers from World War I. It was raining, and Trump reportedly didn’t want to get his hair, wet, something he has voiced concern about elsewhere. During the trip, Trump remarked, “Why should I go to that cemetery? It’s filled with losers.” In a separate conversation he referred to them as “suckers.” Publicly, Trump claimed that he couldn’t visit the cemetery because of extremely poor weather, though other major political figures like the President of France were able to attend.
The Atlantic report also noted that Trump refused to lend any support to late US Senator John McCain’s funeral, and was angered that flags were flown at half-staff, saying, “What the f-ck are we doing that for? Guy was a f-cking loser.” Trump famously said he didn’t consider McCain a war hero because he was captured, and attacked him repeatedly for his vote against repealing the Affordable Care Act.
Senior Defense officials also confirmed the accuracy of the Atlantic article to the Associated Press. They also noted that during a 2017 visit to the Arlington Cemetery Trump asked his then-Chief of Staff, “I don’t get it. What was in it for them?”
Fox News national security correspondent Jennifer Griffin also confirmed some details of the Atlantic story, but could not confirm the specific point on “suckers” and “losers.” Still, Trump called for her to be fired for her reporting on claims made.
Osama bin Laden’s niece, Noor bin Laden, voiced support for Trump, claiming that only he could prevent another terrorist attack like 9/11. On the day of 9/11, Trump bragged about the height of his Manhattan tower.
Noor, born in Switzerland, is a vocal fan of American conservative news and talk show hosts, naming Fox News’ Tucker Carlson to be her favorite television personality. She has also voiced support for the QAnon conspiracy theory. Trump has voiced support for other politicians who have espoused the conspiracy.
The Hatch Act, passed in 1939, prohibits executive branch public servants from using their position to engage in political activity like campaigning, or the use of public locations to do so. While the President and Vice President are except, Trump’s administration has violated the Hatch Act several times over his tenure.
The Office of the Special Council, an independent federal investigative and prosecutorial agency, recommended Kellyanne Conway’s removal in June 2019 due to her violations of the Hatch Act. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington filed a lawsuit in December of 2019 that alleged over 60 violations by Kellyanne Conway alone. She dismissed accusations of violating the Hatch Act as trying to silence her, saying, “Blah, blah, blah…Let me know when the jail sentence starts.”
Further accusations of violations have been levied against Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, White House senior adviser Jared Kushner, trade adviser Peter Navarro, economic adviser Larry Kudlow, Vice Presidential chief of staff Marc Short, and former UN Ambassaor Nikki Haley.
Among the most open and breach of the Hatch Act was the use of the White House, also referred to as “the people’s house,” as the centerpiece location for the 2020 Republican National Convention. The fourth and final day of the RNC featured several speakers, including the President himself, on the White House lawn.
Day 4 of RNC 2020. Alex Wong/Getty Images
The day after, White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows dismissed concerns, saying “Nobody outside of the Beltway really cares”
In an August 31, 2020 Fox News interview, Trump alleged a conspiracy about opponent Joe Biden, who had been a centrist Democrat for 47 years of public service.
INGRAHAM: Who do you think is pulling Biden’s strings. Is it former Obama people?
TRUMP: People that you’ve never heard of. People that are in the dark shadows. People that are-
INGRAHAM: What does that mean? That sounds like conspiracy theory. Dark shadows, what is that?
TRUMP: People that you haven’t heard of. There are people that are on the streets. There are people that are controlling the streets. We had somebody get on a plane from a certain city this weekend and in the plane, it was almost completely loaded with thugs wearing these dark uniforms, black uniforms with gear and this and that. They’re on a plane.
INGRAHAM: Where is-
TRUMP: I’ll tell you sometime, but it’s under investigation right now. But they came from a certain city, and this person was coming to the Republican National Convention. And there were like seven people on the plane like this person. And then a lot of people were on the plane to do big damage. They were coming-
INGRAHAM: Planning for Washington.
TRUMP: Yeah, this is all happening.
INGRAHAM: But the money is coming from somewhere. How can it be tracked?
TRUMP: Money is coming from some very stupid rich people, that have no idea that if their thing ever succeeded, which it won’t, they will be thrown to the wolves like you’ve never seen before.
Trump seemed to be vaguely referencing protesters, who he also alleged had kept the city of Portland burning for “decades.” In the same interview, Trump compared killings by police to choking at golf.
Trump’s tweet was in response to a new book’s depiction of an unplanned visit to Walter Reed Medical Center in November of 2019. His denial drew attention because the book never made mention of mini-strokes.
Donald Trump v. The United States, written by Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Michael Schmidt, also said that Pence was told to be on standby to assume presidential powers in case Trump had to be anesthetized.
It never ends! Now they are trying to say that your favorite President, me, went to Walter Reed Medical Center, having suffered a series of mini-strokes. Never happened to THIS candidate – FAKE NEWS. Perhaps they are referring to another candidate from another Party!
Mike Pence was never put on standby, & there were no mini-strokes. This is just more Fake News by @CNN, a phony story. The reason for the visit to Walter Reed, together with the full press pool, was to complete my yearly physical. Short visit, then returned (with press) to W.H… https://t.co/GUVdbJRvqD
The White House physician issued a statement saying, “I can confirm that President Trump has not experienced nor been evaluated for a cerebrovascular accident (stroke), transient ischemic attack (mini stroke), or any acute cardiovascular emergencies, as have been incorrectly reported in the media.”
Trump’s tweets came amid his attempts to paint Democratic Presidential candidate Joe Biden as mentally unsuitable for the position. In July, he bragged about completing a basic cognitive test.
Trump made the remarks in an August 31, 2020 Fox News interview:
The police are under siege because of things – they can do 10,000 great acts, which is what they do, and one bad apple, or a choker – you know a choker, they choke, shooting the guy in the back many times. Couldn’t you have done something different? Couldn’t you have wrestled him? In the meantime, he might’ve been going for a weapon. And there’s a whole big thing there. But they choke. Just like in a golf tournament, they miss a three-foot putt.
In April, 2020, Trump announced that he would give the commencement speech for the graduating class at West Point on June 13. West Point officials were reportedly surprised by the decision, as they had sent home the class in March amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
During the press conference, Trump discussed how the ceremony would be socially distanced, saying that he didn’t like the look and preferred it “nice and tight.”
1,106 cadets were summoned from across the country back to their campus in New York, which was the epicenter of COVID-19 at the time. The graduating cadets were required to live in quarantine for the two weeks leading up to the speech, confined to their dorms and being required to stay in assigned cohorts. 15 had tested positive for COVID-19, though officials said that no one else was infected.
Illinois US Senator Tammy Duckworth, who lost both of her legs serving as a helicopter pilot in the Iraq War, was among the most outspoken critics of the decision:
15 of the cadets tested positive for COVID-19 shortly after their return.
On August 16, 2020, Trump retweeted audio purportedly between Biden and former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko from a February 18, 2016 recording.
Trump’s retweet of what intelligence officials already confirmed to be Russian propaganda. CNN
The video had already been described by US intelligence officials as part of a Russian campaign to attack and spread conspiracy theories against Trump’s 2020 opponent, Joe Biden.
The excerpt of the retweeted conversation centers on the ouster of Ukraine’s chief prosecutor, who had previously investigated the owner of a Ukraine energy company where Biden’s son, Hunter, once held a board seat. During the Obama administration, Biden led the charge to oust the prosecutor in the first place, with backing from several European allies, because of his failure to pursue corruption cases.
The account that originally tweeted the recording was suspended.
It’s going to disappear. One day, it’s like a miracle, it will disappear.
On February 28, 2020, the day of his remark, Trump held a rally in South Carolina. The United States had 63 cases of COVID-19.
Trump claimed dozens of times that the virus would “disappear,” and repeatedly dismissed concerns about COVID-19 as it spread throughout the United States.
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