It seems as though the furor over President Trump's admitted dishonesty about the pandemic just might be getting to him.
This morning, Trump fired off some truly bizarre tweets, claiming that he downplayed the pandemic avoided panic, then attempting to incite panic by insisting that American suburbs will be overrun by marauding bands of lawless agitators if he loses the election.
The Democrats never even mentioned the words LAW & ORDER at their National Convention. That's where they are coming from. If I don't win, America's Suburbs will be OVERRUN with Low Income Projects, Anarchists, Agitators, Looters and, of course, “Friendly Protesters".
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 10, 2020
In the tweet, Trump paints an almost apocalyptic picture of a suburban dystopia that will ensue if he is not reelected.
"If I don't win, America's Suburbs will be OVERRUN with Low Income Projects, Anarchists, Agitators, Looters and, of course, 'Friendly Protesters'."
The tweet came on the heels of another in which he attempted to cast Bob Woodward as an opportunist while insisting his approach to the pandemic was the right one.
Bob Woodward had my quotes for many months. If he thought they were so bad or dangerous, why didn't he immediately report them in an effort to save lives? Didn't he have an obligation to do so? No, because he knew they were good and proper answers. Calm, no panic!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 10, 2020
Both tweets come as Trump is embroiled in backlash following the release of recorded conversations with journalist Bob Woodward in which he admits both the profound danger of the virus and that he purposefully misled the public about the gravity of the pandemic.
The recordings were made in February and March, at the same time as Trump was frequently seen addressing the nation on television with bizarre claims that the virus will "disappear," comparing it to seasonal flu, and undermining both the scientific community's assertions about the virus, and state and local public health officials' warnings and requests for assistance.
Despite the fact that Woodward's recordings consist of nothing more than Trump's own words, the President called them a "political hit job" in a tweet posted yesterday.
For years Fake stories and investigations, then the phony Russia, Russia, Russia HOAX, next Ukraine and the failed Impeachment, now the crummy Atlantic Magazine's MADE UP STORY, and lastly, the political hit job by rapidly fading Bob Woodward and his boring book. It never ends!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 10, 2020
Now, in a bizarre and contradictory gambit, it seems Trump has pivoted to stoking panic in White suburban voters in a bid to salvage his reelection campaign and maintain a claim to being the best choice in November.
As Vox's Aaron Rupar put it:
"...instead of running on his record, Trump's campaign has had to resort to stoking wildly exaggerated fears about Joe Biden. At the same time, however, Trump wants the American people to buy that he didn't level with them about the [virus] because he didn't want to stoke fear."
On Twitter, many people found Trump's claims of trying to avoid panic patently absurd.
...says the guy who doesn't want to cause a panic. https://t.co/8xbQ6Sn9SS
— Mark Hamill (@HamillHimself) September 10, 2020
So, now you are admitting that if America knew that you were misleading them, lives could have been saved, but it's not your fault. It's Bob Woodward's fault for not telling the public soon enough?
WOW! You are really bad at this!
— Mrs. Krassenstein (@HKrassenstein) September 10, 2020
Trump's “no panic" Woodward tapes spin would be easier to buy if his entire reelection campaign wasn't about stoking panic https://t.co/TSgUxoJrT4
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) September 10, 2020
When it comes to a deadly virus, he claims to be all about not panicking the nation—but stoking fear to try and cheat an election? Sure. That's definitely all "calm, no panic." https://t.co/KAxxbV5ajD
— Tammy Duckworth (@SenDuckworth) September 10, 2020
FDR after Pearl Harbor might've said, if he'd been Trump, “Why upset folks with some 'Day of Infamy' speech? Let's just calm down till my friend General Hirohito gives up. No need to panic anyone by mobilizing for war."
— Laurence Tribe (@tribelaw) September 10, 2020
Yeah, he's the guy committed to reducing panic in America: https://t.co/kzyWBfdfIj
— Michael McFaul (@McFaul) September 10, 2020
The panic preventer has logged on https://t.co/0FatXAQ4pa
— Lachlan Markay (@lachlan) September 10, 2020
Others pointed out that Trump's fear-mongering in White suburbs is also racist.
He's blowing that white fear racist dogwhistle as hard as he can. This whole thing is, "The suburbs will be overrun with brown people!!!" https://t.co/09NZpzzLVg
— James S.A. Corey (@JamesSACorey) September 10, 2020
TRUMP: I lied about #COVID19 to keep people from panicking.
ALSO TRUMP: Roving mobs of Blacks and liberals are coming to loot and burn down your neighborhood! https://t.co/yTCy888syN
— Max Burns (@themaxburns) September 10, 2020
Why play the race card when you can just throw down the whole deck? https://t.co/5YGsnNhPtC
— Chris Bury (@ChrisBuryNews) September 10, 2020
Today's tweets are just the latest attempts by Trump to use fear to appeal to suburban voters, even going so far as to tweet that if Biden gets elected, "You could say goodbye to your American Dream!"
