With nearly 200 thousand American deaths so far, the United States has suffered more virus deaths than any other country in the world.
President Donald Trump, who repeatedly dismissed the virus during the early stages of the outbreak in the United States, has largely failed in his attempts to defend the stratospheric death toll to the American public.
His latest defense of these deaths—at a Wednesday White House press briefing—suffered the same fate.
Watch below.
Praising his own virus response as deaths near 200,000, Trump says, "if you take the blue states out, we're at a level I don't think anybody in the world would be at." pic.twitter.com/ezAU5IJIcQ
— The American Independent (@AmerIndependent) September 16, 2020
Trump said:
"You look at what we've done and all of the lives we've saved...that's despite the fact that the blue states had tremendous death rates. If you take the blue states out, we're at a level that I don't think anybody in the world would be at."
The President's claim came after he presented a graph showing the current death toll compared with early numbers that predicted significantly more deaths.
Trump didn't acknowledge that these numbers were predicting the deaths that would have occurred with no intervention whatsoever, so these don't account for the hundreds of mayors and governors across the country who instituted precautions and strategies that helped to slow the spread—despite criticisms from President Trump.
People were disgusted that the President appeared not to be disturbed by the numbers, since many of the deaths hit blue states the hardest.
Donald Trump doesn't care when people in Blue States die. He doesn't even think we count.
Most of the people in America live in Blue States.
Donald Trump hates America. https://t.co/zDJs8puDRK
— Jon Cryer (@MrJonCryer) September 16, 2020
Trump thinks of the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Americans like a poll number or a stock market price. He cares only about how it makes him look, especially to his supporters. https://t.co/jRAWWA0brg
— Orin Kerr (@OrinKerr) September 16, 2020
Remember back in February when he said it was nothing, and then in March when he actively made it impossible for hard-hit (blue) states to get PPE?
So now he's bragging about killing Americans, and about choosing to let people die for perceived partisan advantage. https://t.co/1smhtAQtZC
— Trillian Astra (@ReneeStLouis) September 16, 2020
it is sometimes very difficult, still, to believe this person is actually our president. (though clearly he doesn't consider himself my president, since i live in a blue state) https://t.co/Rn4jLGSQnu
— Emily Dreyfuss (@EmilyDreyfuss) September 16, 2020
He not only abandoned us to die; not only stood in the way of any who would save or help us; not only left us uncomforted in our howling grief - Trump & all who enable him have *actively* spread the agent of our deaths, at Tulsa, Mt. Rushmore, the RNC, & every rally since. https://t.co/AuOxRR2LZq
— Emily L. Hauser אלה אסתר (@emilylhauser) September 16, 2020
Trump has faced outcry for what critics say is an apathy toward the lives of those residing in states he lost in the electoral college.
Just a reminder that Trump axed full blown federal testing because he thought COVID only affected blue states and those he can leave to die.https://t.co/j9o5lPSND1 https://t.co/eOoCRDE1Kq
— Comfortably Numb (@YGalanter) September 16, 2020
As disgusting as this is, remember that aside from electoral college, there aren't really "red states" and "blue states."
There are urban and suburban voters, and everyone else. Blue states just have more of the former. Trump doesn't care if everyone in and around cities dies. https://t.co/BYc4izAQOA
— David Atkins (@DavidOAtkins) September 16, 2020
Trump is President of the 'blue states'. And take them out and it's still really bad.
The US failure of leadership was at the federal level.
Btw GOP voters on blue states - Trump literally doesn't care if you die.
— Pete says vote Biden/Harris 2020 (@BaconGrillin123) September 16, 2020
I mean, electoral gerrymandering works well so why not expand it into the rhetorical sphere as well https://t.co/lY8A8zjTXb
— Studio Glibly (@NoTotally) September 16, 2020
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