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Donald Trump lied to the American people about a global pandemic. He then designed and enacted policy around what he knew to be lies.
There was a time when those sentences could be read as conjecture, but that time has passed. It was confirmed the POTUS not only knew exactly how dangerous the pandemic is, but that he was aware it was easily transmitted and that he intentionally chose to mislead the public about it.
He instructed states to do what was appropriate for a minor infectious disease, not the major one he knew they were dealing with.
Trump instructed that schools be opened. He stated that masks were not needed. He framed the pandemic as an attack on freedoms. He called the pandemic a hoax perpetrated by Democrats.
But during a Feb 7 phone call Trump stated:
"You just breathe the air and that's how it's passed. That's a very tricky one. That's a very delicate one. It's also more deadly than even your strenuous flus. This is deadly stuff."
In March Trump confessed:
"To be honest with you, I always wanted to play it down. I still like playing it down because I don't want to create a panic."
When audio clips of the above statements were released and authenticated, people were rightfully horrified.
But Trump ride or die pundit Fox & Friends Steve Doocy has a different take on the situation.
Rather than being appalled by the President's actions, Doocy chose to celebrate them. According to him, lying and enacting policy Trump knew was unsafe is akin to FDR delivering his "fireside chats" to comfort the public and help instill calm during times of crisis.
Doocy's hot take hit Twitter almost instantly.
Steve Doocy compares Trump lying about the dangers of coronavirus to FDR's Fireside Chats meant "to calm America." https://t.co/4W1cMbk1nO— Bobby Lewis (@Bobby Lewis) 1599737936.0
Let's just say that a fair number of people disagree with Doocy's thoughts on the matter.
@TeaPainUSA Yeah, it would be more like telling the passengers of the Titanic that they've just "thrown a propellor… https://t.co/4m0wdFpbT4— Peter Kaufman (@Peter Kaufman) 1599749191.0
@revrrlewis https://t.co/xj1LyppAPz— [Internal Screaming] (@[Internal Screaming]) 1599742691.0
@RawStory Trump had the power to reach millions of Americans, & warn them that this virus was more severe than the… https://t.co/ODnobYzNda— Smocking Liddle’ Jenius (@Smocking Liddle’ Jenius) 1599750051.0
@mmfa He would never want to scare us. What a compassionate man.. caravans, destroy the suburbs, thugs destroying c… https://t.co/W7maOxXG1H— Gary Coopersmith (@Gary Coopersmith) 1599743022.0
@RawStory Dear Fox & Friends: No. It's not. If someone's trying to boil us up and eat us for dinner - we know better.— PlanetNavaho (@PlanetNavaho) 1599750168.0
@revrrlewis As Trump threatened to cut funding from states that did not reopen schools he knew the real threat and… https://t.co/pChPacptLF— renm (@renm) 1599741219.0
@Myshiloh Ignorant or traitors ? you decide— shelly (@shelly) 1599748495.0
So the latest talking point seems to be letting hundreds of thousands of people die horrible deaths, millions get s… https://t.co/blKgZBVymE— Sue Stone (@Sue Stone) 1599748503.0
who can forget FDR's famous fireside chats, in which he told citizens that there was no need for deposit insurance… https://t.co/8BdDhYKzg6— general yikes (@general yikes) 1599738713.0
The biggest point of contention most people have with this comparison is that FDR took a "these are the dire facts" approach, similar to what Governor Cuomo did in New York. People may not have liked it, but they could make informed decisions.
Trump, on the other hand, opted to deny and downplay data and spin a real crisis as a hoax to feed his base. In doing so, he robbed people of their ability to properly prepare and take action.
And people aren't feeling warm and fuzzy over it.