dismissed COVID-19 across another month? (timeline pt. 2)

As the COVID-19 pandemic began, Trump went from “It’s going to be just fine” to “I’ve felt it was a pandemic long before it was called a pandemic” in 56 days. As with that first timeline, COVID-19 case numbers for this post are taken from https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/, and there may be a lag between Trump’s statements and the day’s reported numbers.

Mar. 18 – 10,091 total US cases, 171 deaths.

It’s not racist at all. No. Not at all. It comes from China. That’s why. It comes from China. I want to be accurate.

Mar. 19 – 14,896 cases, 240 deaths. Trump promotes unproven drug treatments, falsely claiming that it has been approved by the FDA for COVID-19.

And we’re going to be able to make that drug available almost immediately, and that’s where the FDA has been so great. They – they’ve gone through the approval process. It’s been approved.

Mar. 20 – 20,873 cases, 310 deaths. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo orders all non-essential businesses to keep their workers home. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker issues a “stay-at-home” order. Indiana, Ohio, Louisiana, and others follow.

Mar. 21 – 25,969 cases, 376 deaths.

Mar. 22 – 33,745 cases, 512 deaths.

Mar. 23 – 46,433 cases, 693 deaths.

You look at automobile accidents, which are far greater than any numbers we’re talking about. That doesn’t mean we’re going to tell everybody no more driving of cars. So we have to do things to get our country open.

Mar. 24 – 58,021 cases, 962 deaths.

Ultimately the goal is to ease the guidelines…Easter is our timeline, what a great timeline that would be.

Mar. 25 – 71,638 cases, 1,269 deaths. 3.3 million Americans file for unemployment.

Mar. 26 – 89,513 cases, 1,629 deaths. The United States now leads the world in confirmed COVID-19 cases.

Our country has to go back. Our country is based on that. And I think it’s going to happen pretty quickly. A lot of progress is made, but we’ve got to get back to work.

Mar. 27 – 108,537 cases, 2,131 deaths.

You call it a germ, you can call it a flu, you can call it a virus. You know, you can call it many different names. I’m not sure anybody even knows what it is.

Mar. 28 – 127,827 cases, 2,781 deaths.

Mar. 29 – 147,921 cases, 3,283 deaths. Trump brags about TV ratings.

Mar. 30 – 171,640 cases, 3,150 deaths. American deaths from COVID-19 surpass 9/11.

Apr. 1 – 224,651 cases, 6,465 deaths.

Did you know I was number one on Facebook?

Apr. 2 – 255,276 cases, 7,676 deaths. Global cases reaches 1 million. Another 6.6 million Americans file for unemployment.

Apr. 4 – 322,790 cases, 10,537 deaths. More American deaths than those from Operation Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan) combined.

I may take [hydroxychloroquine]. I’ll have to ask my doctors about that. But I may take it.

Maybe we could allow special, for churches, maybe we could talk about it. Maybe we could allow them, with great separation outside, on Easter Sunday. I don’t know, it’s something we should talk about.

Apr. 6 – 381,262 cases, 13,488 deaths. Trump interjects during a question for Dr. Fauci about hydroxychloroquine.

I answered this 15 times. You don’t have to answer.

Apr. 7 – 415,992 cases, 15,755 deaths. Trump echoes past claims of fraud with mail-in voting.

Mail-in voting is horrible, it’s corrupt…sure I could vote by mail, because I’m allowed to.

Trump falsely claims in a Hannity interview that the US is not experiencing a shortage of beds and ventilators.

The good thing is that the number of beds needed, I think we were right about that. I was right. My group was right.

I just saw on your show and a couple of other people just reported back to me that everyone is in great shape from the standpoint of ventilators, which are very hard, because they’re expensive and they’re big and like — it’s, you know — it’s — and they’re very high-tech.

Apr. 8 – 448,806 cases, 17,966 deaths. Trump threatens to halt WHO funding.

They really called every aspect of it wrong…recently social media said they seem to be very China-centric.

Apr. 9 – 482,724 cases, 20,113 deaths. An additional 6.6 million Americans file for unemployment. The Federal Reserve announces a stimulus of $2,300,000,000,000 ($2.3 trillion).

Apr. 10 – 517,010 cases, 22,394 deaths. Trump administration limits COVID-19 reporting requirements to healthcare industry employers.

This is a very brilliant enemy. You know, it’s a brilliant enemy. They develop drugs like the antibiotics. You see it. Antibiotics used to solve every problem. Now one of the biggest problems the world has is the germ has gotten so brilliant that the antibiotic can’t keep up with it… We’re fighting – not only is it hidden, but it’s very smart, okay? It’s invisible and it’s hidden, but it’s – it’s very smart.

Apr. 11 – 546,923 cases, 24,460 deaths. The United States now leads the world in COVID-19 deaths. Reports surface of Trump asking Dr. Fauci, “Why don’t we let this wash over the country?”

Apr. 12 – 573,092 cases, 26,215 deaths.

Apr. 13 – 600,825 cases, 27,963 deaths. Trump plays video in White House briefing room titled “The media minimized the risk from the start.” He claims total authority over state governors.

Well I have the ultimate authority. President of the United States has the authority to do what the President has the authority to do, which is very powerful.

Trump spars with a reporter over a gap in actions taken February.

You’re so disgraceful. It’s so disgraceful the way you say that…nobody thought we should do it, and when I did it, you know what we did? You know what we did? What do you do when you have no case in the whole United States…zero cases zero deaths on January 17. …we did a lot. Look, look, you know you’re a fake, you know that, your whole network is fake.

Apr. 14 – 629,827 cases, 30,592 deaths. Trump halts US funding to the WHO.

Apr. 16 – 691,619 cases, 35,537 deaths. Another 5.2 million Americans file for unemployment, totaling approximately 22 million. Trump declines to speak out against protests in Michigan and other states against closures and social distancing.

There’s death and there’s problems in staying at home, too. It’s not just isn’t it wonderful to stay at home. They’re having – they’re suffering. This country wasn’t built on that principle, it was built on an exact opposite principle, actually. And I watched in one particular state where they were, they want to get back, the want to get back… I think they listen to me, they seem to be protesters that like me, and respect this opinion, and my opinion is the same as all the governors. They all want to open.

Apr. 17 – 724,900 cases, 38,134 deaths. Trump tweets in response to reports of protests against state closures, even citing the 2nd Amendment, though he has suggested taking guns without due process.

The timeline is continued here.

Worldometer – Coronavirus, United States
Politico – Trump on ‘Chinese virus’ label: ‘It’s not racist at all’
AP News – AP FACT CHECK: Trump falsely claims drug approval for virus
Whitehouse.gov – Remarks by President Trump, Vice President Pence, and Members of the Coronavirus Task Force in Press Briefing
Politifact – Timeline: How Donald Trump responded to the coronavirus pandemic
NPR – 3.3 Million File Unemployment Claims, Shattering Records
Politico – Trump triggers Defense Production Act for the first time
USA Today – Another 6.6M Americans file for unemployment benefits as layoffs show no letup
Department of Defense – CASUALTY STATUS as of 10 a.m. EDT April 13, 2020
The New York Times – President Trump’s Prime-Time Pandemic
The Wall Street Journal – U.S. Coronavirus Death Toll Passes Italy, Becoming World’s Highest
CNN – The 24 most wildly irresponsible lines from Donald Trump’s latest interview with Sean Hannity
Forbes – The Fed Will Pump Another $2.3 Trillion Into The Economy. Here’s Why This Time Is Different
Occupational Safety and Health Administration – Enforcement Guidance for Recording Cases of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
The Washington Post – Trump administration has many task forces — but still no plan for beating covid-19
Politico – Trump halts funding to World Health Organization
Fortune – 22 million have lost their jobs over the past month—real unemployment rate likely nearing 18%
Business Insider – Fox News host defended anti-lockdown protesters carrying Confederate flags and falsely accused Michigan’s governor of calling them Nazis

limited COVID-19 reporting requirements to the healthcare industry?

On April 10, Trump’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) changed its COVID-19 reporting requirements to include only those in the healthcare industry. The loosening of requirements are not to apply if:

(1) There is objective evidence that a COVID-19 case may be work-related; and (2) the evidence was reasonably available to the employer.”

The OSHA statement explains that this is to allow employers to focus on prevention rather than making “difficult work-related decisions” amid community transmission:

This enforcement policy will help employers focus their response efforts on implementing good hygiene practices in their workplaces, and otherwise mitigating COVID-19’s effects, rather than on making difficult work-relatedness decisions in circumstances where there is community transmission.

David Michaels, epidemiologist and public health professor at The George Washington University who served as head of OSHA between 2009 and 2017, shared his disbelief on Twitter.

Jordan Barab, former OSHA Deputy Assistant Secretary between 2009 and 2017, also criticized the decision. Barab noted that the eased restrictions removes responsibility from employers on determining and managing COVID-19 infections, potentially jeopardizing worker’s compensation claims.

On the day of the announcement, the United States had a total of over 500,000 cases and 18,000 deaths.

Occupational Safety and Health Administration – Enforcement Guidance for Recording Cases of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
USA Today – ‘Shocking and disheartening’: OSHA faces criticism for failing to protect workers amid the coronavirus
Wikipedia – David Michaels (epidemiologist)
LinkedIn – Jordan Barab 
Wikipedia – Occupational Safety and Health Administration
Worldometer – Coronavirus, United States

dismissed COVID-19 across two months? (timeline pt. 1)

The timeline below includes Trump’s remarks alongside US cases and other major events. COVID-19 case numbers for this post are taken from https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/, and there may be a lag between Trump’s statements and the day’s reported numbers.

Dec. 31 – World Health Organization first alerted to the existence of a new respiratory virus in China.

Jan. 3 – CDC Director Robert Redfield receives a call from a counterpart in China warning of COVID-19.

Jan. 5 – WHO publishes first Disease Outbreak News for COVID-19.

Jan. 8 – CDC issues first travel advisory, “alerting clinicians on January 8, 2020, to be on the look-out for patients with respiratory symptoms and a history of travel to Wuhan, China.”

Jan. 9 – Trump holds Ohio rally.

Jan. 12 – China shares genetic sequence of COVID-19.

Jan. 14 – WHO says evidence of human-to-human transmission is inconclusive. Trump holds Wisconsin rally.

Jan. 18 – Trump receives a briefing from Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, who said the President viewed him as “alarmist.” The briefing was by phone, as Trump was at Mar-a-Lago golfing for the weekend.

Jan. 19 – Trump golfs.

Jan. 21 – First reported case in the United States.

Jan. 22 – 1 case. WHO declares evidence of person to person transmission.

“We have it totally under control. … It’s going to be just fine.”

Jan. 23 – WHO issues global advisory.

WHO’s risk assessment is that the outbreak is a very high risk in China, and a high risk regionally and globally…We know that there is human-to-human transmission in China, but for now it appears limited to family groups and health workers caring for infected patients. At this time, there is no evidence of human-to-human transmission outside China, but that doesn’t mean it won’t happen.

Jan. 24 – 2 cases.

Jan. 28 – Trump holds New Jersey rally.

Jan. 30 – 7 cases. First person-to-person transmission confirmed by CDC, indicating COVID-19 had been freely spreading for several days, possibly weeks. Trump holds Iowa rally.

“We think we have it very well under control. We have very little problem in this country at this moment — five. And those people are all recuperating successfully. But we’re working very closely with China and other countries, and we think it’s going to have a very good ending for it. So that I can assure you.”

Jan. 31 – 8 cases. China travel ban issued; US citizens and legal residents are exempt. HHS Secretary Azar declares public health crisis. There are 11,950 confirmed cases worldwide, 156 of which are outside of China spanning 19 nations.

Feb 1. – 8 cases. Trump golfs.

Feb 2. – 11 cases. China travel ban goes into effect.

Well, we pretty much shut it down coming in from China. We have a tremendous relationship with China, which is a very positive thing.

Feb. 5 – 11 cases. Trump’s impeachment trial ends as the Senate votes not to convict.

Feb. 7 – 11 cases. In tapes revealed in September 2020, Trump tells Bob Woodward about the severity of the virus.

It goes through air, Bob. That’s always tougher than the touch. The touch, you don’t have to touch things, right? But the air, you just breathe the air and that’s how it’s passed. And so that’s a very tricky one. That’s a very delicate one. It’s also more deadly than even your strenuous flus…This is more deadly. This is 5% versus 1%, and less than 1%. So this is deadly stuff.

Feb. 10 – 12 cases. Trump holds New Hampshire rally.

Now, the virus that we’re talking about having to do — you know, a lot of people think that goes away in April with the heat — as the heat comes in. Typically, that will go away in April. We’re in great shape though.

The virus, they’re working hard. Looks like by April, you know, in theory, when it gets a little warmer, it miraculously goes away.

Feb. 15 – 15 cases. Trump golfs.

Feb. 19 – 15 cases. Trump holds Arizona rally.

Feb. 20 – 15 cases. Trump holds Colorado rally.

Feb. 21 – 35 cases. Trump holds Nevada rally.

Feb. 24 – 53 cases. “CDC & World Health have been working hard and very smart,” Trump will halt funding to the World Health Organization within two months.

Feb. 25 – 57 cases.

Feb. 26 – 60 cases. Pence appointed leader of COVID-19 task force.

And again, when you have 15 people, and the 15 within a couple of days is going to be down to close to zero, that’s a pretty good job we’ve done.

Feb. 27 – 60 cases.

Feb. 28 – 63 cases. Trump holds South Carolina rally.

Now the Democrats are politicizing the coronavirus…they are politicizing it. We did one of the great jobs, you see…this is their new hoax.

35,000 people on average die each year from the flu. Did anyone know that? 35,000, that’s a lot of people. It could go to 100,000, it could be 27,000. They say usually a minimum of 27, goes up to 100,000 people a year die. And so far we have lost nobody to coronavirus in the United States. Nobody. And it doesn’t mean we won’t and we are totally prepared. It doesn’t mean we won’t, but think of it. You hear 35 and 40,000 people and we’ve lost nobody and you wonder the press is in hysteria mode.

It’s going to disappear. One day, it’s like a miracle, it will disappear.

Feb. 29 – 68 cases. First American death.

I’ve gotten to know these professionals. They’re incredible. And everything is under control. I mean, they’re very, very cool. They’ve done it, and they’ve done it well. Everything is really under control.

Mar. 2 – 100 cases, 6 deaths.

We had a great meeting today with a lot of the great companies and they’re going to have vaccines, I think relatively soon.

Mar. 5 – 221 cases, 12 deaths.

Mar. 6 – 319 cases, 15 deaths. Global cases surpass 100,000. Trump signs $8.3 billion funding bill for research.

Anybody that needs a test, gets a test. They’re there. They have the tests. And the tests are beautiful.

No, I’m not concerned at all. No, we’ve done a great job with it.
…
[Holding rallies] doesn’t bother me at all and it doesn’t bother them at all.

It’s an unforeseen problem, what a problem, came out of nowhere, but we’re taking care of it.

Mar. 7 – 435 cases, 19 deaths. Trump golfs.

Mar. 8 – 541 cases, 22 deaths. Trump golfs.

Mar. 9 – 704 cases, 26 deaths.

Mar. 10 – 994 cases, 30 deaths.

We’re doing a great job with it. And it will go away. Just stay calm. It will go away.

Mar. 11 – 1,301 cases, 38 deaths. WHO declares COVID-19 a pandemic. Trump extends travel ban to most of Europe. The bans still do not apply to US citizens and legal residents.

Our team is the best anywhere in the world…and taking early intense action, we have seen dramatically fewer cases of the virus in the United States than are now present in Europe.

Mar. 13 – 2,284 cases, 48 deaths. Trump declares a national emergency.

I don’t take responsibility at all…

Mar. 14 – 2,931 cases, 58 deaths. First widespread screenings at airports leads to mass confusion and several-hour wait times in crowded terminals.

Mar. 16 – 4,925 cases, 95 deaths. Trump rates his handling a 10/10, echoing his self-rating on the handling of Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria.

I’d rate [our response] a 10.

Mar. 17 – 6,905 cases, 121 deaths.

I’ve felt it was a pandemic long before it was called a pandemic.

The timeline of events is continued here.

Worldometer – Coronavirus, United States
The Business Insider – Trump reportedly dismissed January coronavirus warnings from Health Secretary Alex Azar as ‘alarmist’
CDC – First Travel-related Case of 2019 Novel Coronavirus Detected in United States
World Health Organization – Novel Coronavirus(2019-nCoV) Situation Report – 11, as of 31 January 2020
Axios – CDC confirms first U.S. person-to-person coronavirus transmission
The New York Times – Airports Reel as New Coronavirus Screening Goes into Effect
World Health Organization – WHO Timeline – COVID-19
Factcheck.org – Trump’s Statements About the Coronavirus
Politifact – ‘It’s going to disappear’: Trump’s changing tone on coronavirus
Snopes – Did Trump Golf, Hold Rallies After Learning About COVID-19 Threat?
World Health Organization – WHO Director-General’s statement on the advice of the IHR Emergency Committee on Novel Coronavirus
The Washington Post – The U.S. was beset by denial and dysfunction as the coronavirus raged
The New York Times – A Timeline of the Coronavirus Pandemic

 

refused to allow a special enrollment period for health insurance amid the COVID-19 pandemic?

As the United States surpassed over 200,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and over 5,000 deaths, Trump declined to reopen the federal health care exchange at Healthcare.gov for a special enrollment period.

While free testing for COVID-19 has been authorized, there are no provisions or support for Americans without healthcare that require further treatment.

As of 2018, over 28,000,000 Americans were uninsured.

Trump has repeatedly claimed that he is responsible for saving provisions for pre-existing conditions. However, there is an ongoing lawsuit by Republican states to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which instituted the provisions.

A few days prior to the decision on opening enrollment, Trump tweeted to brag about his television ratings.

US Census Bureau – Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2018
Politico – Trump rejects Obamacare special enrollment period amid pandemic
Business Insider – Trump is refusing to reopen the Obamacare exchanges to help millions of uninsured Americans get coverage during the coronavirus pandemic
Vanity Fair – Americans Can’t Sign Up for Health Insurance During a Global Pandemic, Trump Decides
Politico – Supreme Court will hear major challenge to Obamacare
Coronavirus COVID-19 Global Cases by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University (JHU)

appointed Mike Pence to lead the COVID-19 task force?

On February 26, 2020, Trump appointed Vice President Mike Pence as leader of the federal government’s task force on COVID-19. At the time, the United States reported a total of 58 cases. One month later, the US reported a total of over 100,000.

Pence drew criticism when he toured the Mayo Clinic on April 28 without a mask, noticeably being the only one present without one. By then, the US reported over 1 million total cases.

Pence, former governor of Indiana, has a controversial past regarding his record on public health and science:

Smoking

In 2000, Pence claimed in an op-ed about smoking,

Time for a quick reality check. Despite the hysteria from the political class and the media, smoking doesn’t kill.

The CDC considers smoking the leading cause of preventable death in the United States.

Rush Limbaugh, who has made similar claims about smoking, was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Trump in 2020.

web.archive.org

AIDS

Amid an AIDS outbreak in his state, after a 2015 meeting with officials from the Indiana State Department of Health and the CDC, Pence said he would “go home and pray on it.” A few days later, Pence allowed for the opening of an HIV testing clinic and a non-state funded needle exchange program. However, on the same day, he signed a bill into law that increased criminal punishment for possession of syringes without a prescription, even if unused. Within two years, 217 AIDS cases had been attributed to the outbreak. Critics claimed that Pence’s long-held attempts to close down Planned Parenthood, a leading HIV testing resource in the state, helped lead to the outbreak in the first place.

As a result of the outbreak, former CDC director Dr. Tom Frieden said that Austin, Indiana had a higher incidence of HIV than “any country in sub-Saharan Africa,” and “more people infected with HIV through injection drug use than in all of New York City last year.”

In a 2002 interview with Wolf Blitzer, Pence claimed about condoms and their ability to prevent the spread of disease,

I just simply believe the only truly safe sex, Wolf, as the president believes, is no sex…The problem is it was too modern of an answer, Wolf. It was — it truly was a modern, liberal answer to a problem that parents like me are facing all over America, and frankly, all over the world.

The head of the CDC at the time of the COVID19 pandemic has also claimed that AIDS reflects god’s judgement.

Conversion Therapy

Pence’s website in which he published his views on smoking also espoused support for conversation therapy. In writing about the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program, Pence’s site stated,

Congress should support the reauthorization of the Ryan White Care Act only after completion of an audit to ensure that federal dollars were no longer being given to organizations that celebrate and encourage the types of behaviors that facilitate the spreading of the HIV virus. Resources should be directed toward those institutions which provide assistance to those seeking to change their sexual behavior.

While Pence has also called being gay a “choice” and “learned behavior,” there is no known evidence of his otherwise specifically voicing support for conversion therapy.

Climate Change

Pence has repeatedly deflected questions on his beliefs regarding climate change.

Trump has referred to climate change as a “Chinese hoax,” while his administration has rolled back protections on endangered species, offshore drilling, coal pollution, and fuel economy standards.

Evolution

Pence has long criticized evolution, espousing a flawed understanding of what constitutes a scientific theory. In 2002, he gave a speech to the House of Representatives, where he demanded that evolution be taught alongside religious alternatives:

Charles Darwin did offer a theory on the origin of species, which we’ve come to know as evolution. Charles Darwin never thought of evolution as anything other than a theory. He hoped that some day it would be proven by the fossil record, but did not live to see that, nor have we.
…let us demand that educators around America teach evolution not as fact, but as theory.

He has also avoided directly answering the question of whether he believes in evolution in later interviews.

Politico – Trump puts Pence in charge of coronavirus response
Politico – Pence flouts hospital policy, goes maskless in Mayo Clinic visit
CBS News – Mike Pence said smoking “doesn’t kill” and faced criticism for his response to HIV. Now he’s leading the coronavirus response
CDC.gov – Smoking & Tobacco Use
Politico – How Mike Pence Made Indiana’s HIV Outbreak Worse
Courier Journal – What we know about Austin, Indiana’s struggles with drugs and HIV
Snopes – Did Mike Pence Say ‘Condoms Are Too Modern and Liberal’?
CNN – CNN WOLF BLITZER REPORTS Transcript, Aired February 15, 2002
Business Insider – Mike Pence said in the 1990s that being gay was ‘a choice’ or a ‘learned behavior,’ but the White House says he isn’t ‘anti-gay’
Newsweek – FROM ‘SMOKING DOESN’T KILL’ TO CONVERSION THERAPY—MIKE PENCE’S MOST CONTROVERSIAL SCIENCE REMARKS
WebArchives.org – Mike Pence for Congress
Coronavirus COVID-19 Global Cases by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University (JHU)

rolled back Obama-era fuel economy rules?

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Trump finalized changes to Obama-era automobile emission rules. Whereas automakers were to increase fuel economy by an average of 5% per year through 2026, it was changed to 1.5%. The Trump administration noted that the change would be the equivalent of 2 billion additional barrels of oil consumed and nearly a billion metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions.

The Verge – Trump rolls back Obama fuel economy rule, increasing emissions during a climate crisis
Reuters – Trump finalizes rollback of Obama-era vehicle fuel efficiency standards
The Hill – The pandemic hasn’t stopped Trump’s rollback of Clean Car Standards

said initiatives for easier voting meant no Republican would be elected again?

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic and US stimulus packages, Democrats pushed for increased funding for absentee and vote-by-mail options. The proposal was for $400 million to be distributed through the federal Election Assistance Commission and subsequently distributed to the states to ensure that voting would be possible for all, with equal access, even if the pandemic persisted. Critics said the funding suggested was still far too little for such a nation-wide initiative.

During a Fox & Friends interview, Trump declared, “The things they had in there were crazy. They had things – levels of voting that, if you ever agreed to it, you’d never have a Republican elected in this country again.”

When asked about his comments at a press conference, Trump said, “I think that mail in voting is a terrible thing. I think if you vote, you should go, and even the concept of early voting is not the greatest.” Several states allow for voting by mail, and Oregon, Washington, and Colorado do so exclusively.

He had also questioned the validity of mail-in ballots during the campaign.

Trump has justified voter ID laws by claiming that Americans already need ID to buy groceries, and famously said that he lost the 2016 popular vote because of mass fraud.

The Washington Post – Trump just comes out and says it: The GOP is hurt when it’s easier to vote
The Hill – Trump says election proposals in coronavirus stimulus bill would hurt Republican chances
Business Insider – Trump baselessly claimed that expanding voting access would lead to a Republican never being elected in America again
Ballotpedia.org – Absentee voting

appointed a CDC Director who had claimed AIDS was God’s judgement?

Dr. Robert Redfield, appointed to head the Center for Disease Control in 2018, had a long and controversial history with his approach to AIDS.

upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d2/Rob...
Dr. Robert Redfield / Wikipedia

During his tenure as a Major at the Walter Reed Medical Institute, Dr. Redfield was one of the architects of Army policy regarding AIDS. It included mandatory testing with no confidentiality, and those that tested positive were quarantined, faced various administrative punishments, or were dishonorably discharged. Redfield explained, “The reason we have done what we have done is that we think it’s good medicine – and it’s medicine that might work in the civilian sector, as well.” He was a proponent of H.R. 2788 that sought to allow HIV testing without consent and force states to have doctors report the names of positive cases.

Redfield wrote an introduction to the book Christians in the Age of AIDS, which read:

It is time to reject the temptation of denial of the AIDS/HIV crisis; to reject false prophets who preach the quick-fix strategies of condoms and free needles; to reject those who preach prejudice; and to reject those who try to replace God as judge.

He also regularly denounced use of condoms and needle exchange programs to prevent its spread throughout his career. The CDC says that proper use of condoms can reduce risk of HIV transmission.

Upon taking office, Redfield claimed that his views had since changed.

Redfield’s predecessor, Brenda Fitzgerald, was appointed by Trump in 2017 and resigned after a report of conflicts of interests involving her investments, including various tobacco stocks.

Vice President Mike Pence, leader of the COVID-19 task force, also has a controversial record with public health and science.

Foreign Policy – Meet Trump’s New, Homophobic Public Health Quack
CNN – Why Trump’s new CDC director is an abysmal choice
AP News – Health official who urged abstinence says views have changed
Congress.gov – H.R.2788 – Kimberly Bergalis Patient and Health Provider Protection Act of 1991
Center for Disease Control – Condom Effectiveness
The New York Times – Dr. Brenda Fitzgerald, C.D.C. Director, Resigns Over Tobacco and Other Investments

avoided responsibility for the disbanding of the White House pandemic office?

In 2018, the White House global health security team, an office within the National Security Council, was disbanded. When asked about its closure amid the COVID19 pandemic, Trump replied, “Well, I just think it’s a nasty question…I don’t know anything about it. I mean, you say we did that. I don’t know anything about it.”

When the reporter asked to confirm that he didn’t know about a reorganization of the National Security Council, Trump continued, “It’s the administration, perhaps they do that, let people do, you used to be with a different newspaper than you are now, you know things like that happen.”

When the reporter persisted, her audio was cut as Trump said, “we’re doing a great job.”

While the original pandemic team was disbanded, it was then restructured into what was intended to be a leaner and more effective organization. John Bolton, Trump’s national security advisor from April 2018 to September 2019, stated that the change did not reduce the administration’s effectiveness against COVID-19. Bolton published The Room Where It Happened in June 2020 about his time in the administration, which sought to block its release.

The 2020 federal budget proposal for 2021 also included cuts to the Center for Disease Control. During a hearing about the proposal on March 10, 2020, the acting director of the White House Office of Management and Budget confirmed that they still sought the same cuts to the CDC. On that day, the United States had over 1,000 confirmed cases of COVID19.

Axios – Trump says he doesn’t know anything about pandemic office his admin disbanded
The Washington Post – Top White House official in charge of pandemic response exits abruptly
The Hill – Trump budget chief holds firm on CDC cuts amid virus outbreak
Reuters – Partly false claim: Trump fired entire pandemic response team in 2018
Wikipedia – John Bolton

created a commission to expose mass voter fraud, which then found none?

Immediately after the 2016 election, Trump claimed that he lost the popular vote because of undocumented immigrants and widespread voter fraud.

After taking office, Trump formed the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity by executive order to investigate the alleged mass fraud. Vice President Mike Pence led the commission.

Trump Signs Executive Order establishing a voter fraud commission on May 11, 2017. Wikipedia

Multiple lawsuits were filed by organizations including the ACLU and Electronic Privacy Information Center, as well as one of the commission’s own members. The suits alleged lack of transparency and blatant partisanship.

The commission ran from May 11, 2017 to January 3, 2018, when it was disbanded after having found no evidence of the claimed voter fraud.

The commission member who filed suit, Maine Secretary of State Matt Dunlap, later explained, “even though the idea was to investigate voter fraud, it is pretty clear that the purpose of the commission was to actually affirm and validate the president’s claims whether or not we had any evidence of any such voter misconduct.”

Nevertheless, Trump continued to repeat his claims of mass voter fraud. The same year that the commission was disbanded, Trump justified voter ID laws by claiming that Americans need photo ID even to buy groceries. He also later accused mail-in-voting as being a vehicle for fraud, alleging that implementing such measures amid the COVID-19 crisis would mean no Republican would ever be elected again.

The New York Times – Trump Disbands Commission on Voter Fraud
Associated Press – Report: Trump commission did not find widespread voter fraud
Politico – Trump voter fraud panel sued by its own member
The New York Times – Trump Disbands Commission on Voter Fraud
NPR – Member Of Disbanded Trump Voter Fraud Commission Speaks Out
Wikipedia – Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity

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