Ever since January 20, 2017, Donald Trump has consistently undermined any part of our federal government that, from his point of view, has been out to get him.
As in:
(1) The entire Intelligence Community
(2) Including the FBI
And now, it’s Dr. Anthony Fauci, the foremost expert within our governmenet on infectious diseases, who has received death threats.
Today Trump retweeted somebody’s tweet to the effect that he should fire Dr. Fauci (https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/13/politics/donald-trump-anthony-fauci-tweet/index.html).
And he wants to pull the US out of the World Health Organization, despite very considerable, sensible resistance from public health professionals all around the world.
It’s all part of AmericaFirstism.
So far, but only as of today, we here at AP have not received any information from either of our DC-based associate solitary reporters, Keith Coleman or Susanna Sherman, as to whether Trump has taken any measures to assure physical distancing between himself and whoever stands next to him from his bully pulpit during his daily (and seldom helpful) press briefings.
Associate solitary reporters Coleman and Sherman were with associate solitary reporter Johanna Jones early this morning as Trump huddled with Chief of Staff Mark Meadows (formerly a Tea Party Congressman from the Tarheel State).
“Mark,” Trump barked, “we gotta get rid of everybody, and I mean everybody, at the entire National Institutes of Health, because of Fauci.”
“I say one thing in the Rose Garden, and, next thing I know, he makes me sound like an idiot.”
Meadows paused for a few nanoseconds and said, “Sir, you might want to talk to Secretary Azar about that.”
“Why would I wanna do that, Mark?”
Silence.
Next, he told Meadows to draft an executive order, by Twitter and by no other means, pulling the USA out of the World Health Organization.
“See, Mark, the guy who runs the WHO clearly doesn’t like me. He’s from one of those s______e countries in Africa.”
“Get it done right away!”
“Sir, would you consider discussing that with Pompeo? Or McConnell? Or Kushner?”
No answer.