In an op-ed for The Intercept this Wednesday, James Risen writes that President Trump is spouting quackery and hatred just like “medieval demagogue” during a 14th century plague.
“Major catastrophes lay bare the truth about our leaders,” Risen writes. “Trump’s criminally negligent, chaotic handling of the Covid-19 pandemic has exposed, once and for all, that he is a corrupt, narcissistic psychopath.”
Risen contends that Trump is surrounded by enablers, not only in the White House but also in the White House press corps “who daily act as his Greek chorus. Instead of ignoring his lies and outrageous statements, they dutifully cover his Covid-19 press conferences and tweets as if they were the serious, coherent statements of a genuine national leader.”
According to Risen, this serves as a boost to Trump’s “disinformation campaign,” which could result in thousands of additional infections and death from coronavirus.
Also acting as Trump’s enablers are the government’s top public health professionals, according to Risen, who have been forced to pretends that Trump’s coronavirus strategy has been sound.
“The result is that the White House is stuck in a surreal alternate reality in which reporters and government officials continue to do their jobs as if the president were not mad as a hatter,” Risen writes.
Read his full op-ed over at The Intercept.