On the eve of the Republican National Convention where President Trump hopes to revive his flagging political fortunes, he will announce the emergency authorization of convalescent plasma for covid-19, a treatment that already has been given to more than 70,000 patients, according to officials familiar with the decision.
(The Washington Post, August 23, 2020)
Alas, this is just Trump showing yet again that he would lie even about a treatment for Covid-19 to further his political agenda. That agenda in this case is merely setting the stage for his Republican National Convention that begins tomorrow. And, to do so, he had no qualms about cooking up this news about a historic breakthrough, which is neither historic nor a breakthrough.
On Thursday, Dr. Janet Woodcock, director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said that doctors have treated so many Covid-19 patients with convalescent plasma, it has been difficult to figure out if the treatment works. …
Woodcock, who has shifted to lead therapeutic efforts under the Trump administration’s Operation Warp Speed, said plasma has shown some promise in early studies, but said Thursday there is still not yet enough evidence that it works.
(CNN, August 23, 2020)
Yet, thanks to Trumpian magic, it becomes a historic breakthrough just 48 hours later.
Of course, this is the same president who not only bullied scientists at the National Weather Service to change their Hurricane Dorian forecast, but even used a Sharpie to change the cone of its impact on their official map. And all this just to give credence to his baseless political spin about
- the hurricane heading straight for the Deep South; and
- how only he could save the people there from its wrath.
Now he has apparently bullied scientists at the Food and Drug Administration to authorize this treatment. But it says more about the scientists than Trump that they will not only stand by as he makes a mockery of their profession, but will actually join him in doing so.
‘The deep state, or whoever, over at the FDA is making it very difficult for drug companies to get people in order to test the vaccines and therapeutics,’ he said on Twitter. ‘Obviously, they are hoping to delay the answer until after November 3rd. Must focus on speed, and saving lives!’ He tagged FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn in the tweet.
(The Washington Post, August 22, 2020)
Evidently, FDA Commissioner Hahn got the message. Because there he was at the White House today – giving scientific credence to Trump’s baseless political spin about this treatment. In doing so, he was clearly aping the Sharpie credence Trump himself gave to his baseless spin about that hurricane cone.
And, lest we forget, this is the same FDA Trump bullied into granting emergency use authorization for hydroxychloroquine – only for the agency to sheepishly revoke it months later amidst real scientific backlash.
So the triumph of alternative science now joins the triumph of alternative facts in Trump’s dystopian crusade to Make America Grow Asinine (MAGA). And, given his stunt to set the stage for this convention, clearly there’s no stunt he will not pull to set the stage for Election Day.
In fact, he has already telegraphed his intent to announce a vaccine breakthrough; no doubt hoping to emulate his BFF, Russian President Vladimir Putin. I duly ridiculed Putin in this regard just days ago in “Russia Declares Victory in ‘Olympics’ Race for Covid-19 Vaccine” on August 19.
But, considering what’s at stake, Trump might feel compelled to announce a trumped-up breakthrough of two or more … This, while deploying his congenital tick of projection – where he falsely accuses “deep state” phantoms of delaying a vaccine “until after November 3rd,” knowing full well his intent to manufacture a breakthrough just before then.
In any event, you’d be hard-pressed to cite anything more dictatorial than a president of the United States bullying government scientists to manipulate data or change policy to further his political agenda – deadly consequences for public health be damned.
This, folks, is how democracy dies: Not in darkness (as the Post’s famous slogan proclaims) but in broad daylight … even on TV at the White House.
Related commentaries:
hydroxychloroquine… Putin vaccine… Covid-19 thread…
* This commentary was originally published yesterday, Sunday, at 6:22 p.m.
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