Running roughshod over the advice of trained medical professionals and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, President Donald Trump Wednesday night suggested to millions of Fox News viewers that people infected with coronavirus could still go to work and recover, comments that were immediately condemned as irresponsible and dangerous.
While Trump was visiting tornado-ravaged Tennessee and the CDC today, CNN and Fox largely ignored him and dealt with the covid-19 outbreak, the primaries, and, later, Pence's press conference with his medical experts in toe to provide Americans with accurate information and the latest update.
Trump got a couple of minutes of air time and he blew that. He spent most of those minutes exaggerating the importance of the U.S. as compared to other countries. He made the astonishing statement that the
U.S. is the only country being proactive in the search for covid-19 victims and its cure.
The incredible stupidity of this President is sometimes overwhelming. Of course, that is a huge lie. China, South Korea, Japan, Italy, and countless other nations are actively searching for victims of this virus and a cure.
Why did Trump make such an outrageous lie? Part of the answer is, that is what he does. Lying to benefit himself is a part of his DNA. Quite frankly, he can't help himself.
The other part of the answer is Trump's explanation of
truthful hyperbole.
“The final key to the way I promote is bravado. I play to people’s fantasies. People may not always think big themselves, but they can still get very excited by those who do. That’s why a little hyperbole never hurts. People want to believe that something is the biggest and the greatest and the most spectacular. I call it truthful hyperbole. It’s an innocent form of exaggeration—and a very effective form of promotion.”
“I Call It Truthful Hyperbole”: The Most Popular Quotes From Trump’s “
Boy, that explains a lot.