President Donald Trump for the second time in less than 24 hours turned his anger towards Andrew Cuomo, this time falsely accusing the New York Governor of politicizing the pandemic in a racist tweet that shows just how little the nation’s leader understands the virus that is killing thousands around the world.
“Cuomo wants ‘all states to be treated the same,'” Trump tweeted. “But all states aren’t the same. Some are being hit hard by the Chinese Virus, some are being hit practically not at all. New York is a very big ‘hotspot’, West Virginia has, thus far, zero cases. Andrew, keep politics out of it….”
Trump’s remarks make clear he does not understand that people travel, and that the coronavirus is very easily transmitted. It does not honor lines on a map. And all it takes for areas that “are being hit practically not at all” is for just a few infected people to travel to those areas for them to soon become hotspots.
Cuomo on Monday delivered a nationally-televised speech outlining in great detail how he and his fellow governors in the tri-state area of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut have implemented consistent policies across all three states. Those include bar, restaurant, and casino closings, something Trump has refused to do.
As a result of his leadership Cuomo was hailed as America’s “acting president” after his Monday speech, with some suggesting he should mount a White House run in the future.
Trump, like his Republican ally Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) and others, are making sure to focus on the virus’ origins. The President is calling it the “Chinese Virus,” because they want to make it sound like this is a foreign invasion. It’s an attempt to sow racism while getting their followers to continue to support their efforts, like building a wall.
Referring to what he frequently calls the “Chinese coronavirus,” Cotton last week said “we will hold accountable those who inflicted it on the world.”