President Trump met with several black conservative figures—including favorites of the white right, Diamond and Silk—to discuss all the amazing things the Trump administration claims it is doing for black Americans. Included in this little meeting was, apparently, a group prayer for President Trump, in which the black attendees hovered over him as he, ever so humbly, let them fuss over him with the power of Christ.
And to make matters worse, this happened too. From Real Clear Politics:
“Mr. President, I don’t mean to interrupt, but I’ve got to say this because it’s Black History Month: man, you the first black president,” Former NFL safety Jack Brewer, a guest at the roundtable, told Trump.
Okay, that’s it. Black History Month cannot end soon enough. Fuck a leap year, let’s end it early. Roll out. I’m done.
If you wanna feel extra reassured about Vice President Mike Pence heading up the coronavirus defense task force, you’ll love knowing that President Trump tapped Pence for the job due to his experience handling an HIV outbreak when he was governor of Indiana.
Pence was a guest on Rush Limbaugh’s radio program Friday and said, “The state of Indiana went on to change the law following what I had done, but in both of those instances, what I learned, Rush, was the value of partnerships when you’re dealing with a health issue.”
He continued, “I think it might be the main reason why President Trump asked me to do this. I think by putting me over the administration’s response to the coronavirus, the president wanted to signal the priority that he’s placed on this. that.”
Too bad he did a shit job handling that outbreak!
From Politico:
…when confronted with a spiraling HIV outbreak in his home state as a result of opioid addicts sharing contaminated needles, Pence dragged his feet before agreeing to lift a ban on programs that distribute sterile needles.
Indiana became a national flash point for the opioid epidemic last year when nearly 200 people in rural Scott County became infected with HIV primarily as a result of injecting Opana, a powerful prescription opioid, using dirty needles. Those needles spawned one of the biggest outbreaks of HIV in decades, with more than 20 new cases being diagnosed every week at the height of the outbreak last year.
[…]
Public health experts from around the country advised immediately lifting the state’s ban on needle exchange programs as a way to stop the spread of the disease — an approach that has proved effective in other places.
The governor resisted, but, under enormous pressure, he eventually agreed to a partial lifting of the ban. But critics say the statewide compromise has been ineffective because it offered little financial help to cash-strapped counties and permitted only “limited and accountable” exchange programs, as Pence described it.
Just the guy we want in charge of this thing!
- The stock market has gone to shit [NBC News]
- Elizabeth Warren is still struggling with the black vote. [New York Times]
- Tim Kaine—MEMBA HIM?—endorsed Joe Biden. [Politico]