General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsDidn't we all know that Trump knew about the virus
but lied about it for political reasons?
This was not new information.
Woodward had it on tape but everyone knew that Trump just ignored the information.
LizBeth
(9,952 posts)bamagal62
(3,244 posts)And I went the hardware store (yep, they still had them) and bought masks to send to family members. Even my husband thought I was overreacting. So, I imagine most people knew. Heck, the Czech Republic had public service announcements on their TVs telling everyone to wear a mask while we sat here with our thumbs up our @$$.
Mike 03
(16,616 posts)In fact, we were discussing the possibility this virus was airborne long before it was established in the US media, because studies out of China (and then Italy) indicated as much. In Wuhan, as others have pointed out, they sprayed disinfectant into the air.
Four months before our media routinely explained to us that COVID-19 was airborne, there was this study (March 9) that a few outlets covered, stating that the novel coronavirus could survive in air for (at least) three hours.
Aerosol and surface stability of HCoV-19 (SARS-CoV-2) compared to SARS-CoV-1
https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.03.09.20033217v1.full.pdf
Nevilledog
(50,986 posts)The whole "if you stop testing, the cases go down" shit he's argued for months.
dchill
(38,433 posts)Kota
(901 posts)LisaL
(44,972 posts)NT
Kota
(901 posts)now that these claims have him on tape.
TreasonousBastard
(43,049 posts)enough of us.
The easy thing is to blame Woodward for for not telling us what Trump told him, but that's simply enabling Trump and justifying his bullshit.
Since Trump full of shit is his normal state, Woodward had to take the time to make sure what Trump told him was not just another crock before telling the rest of us what we already knew or suspected.
lagomorph777
(30,613 posts)Therefore, automatically, at least one of those things is a lie.
TreasonousBastard
(43,049 posts)First-- how do you know how much time he needed to verify what Trump said?
Then-- why do you care?
Questioning the messenger when the message is the important thing is what the opposition specializes at. We should avoid that unless absolutely necessary.
lagomorph777
(30,613 posts)I grieve for the 200,000 souls who Trump has martyred. I don't think Woodward could have saved many of them. I just don't agree with the logic of claiming that any investigation is needed to confirm that Turd was lying. You play the interview tapes and the press conference tapes side by side. Done. Lie is proven.
So I might question Woodward's ethics, but I don't question his calculation. Doing maximum damage to Turd a few weeks out from the election is even more valuable than whatever brief impact the story might have had back in February. Even when you factor in the 200,000 murdered people. Turd will murder millions if he stays in power.
fescuerescue
(4,448 posts)I can't tell you how many Trump supporters have told me that they really don't pay attention to what he says.
Truly I think Dems pay more attention to what he says than his own base.
GusBob
(7,286 posts)Laelth
(32,017 posts)-Laelth
lagomorph777
(30,613 posts)hamsterjill
(15,220 posts)We were discussing the virus on DU in December and probably earlier.
But the tapes should (note the use of the word should) make even the most ardent Trump supporters understand that he knew and he lied.
But should hasnt happened because his base is ignorant. We must out vote these ignorants.
Dream Girl
(5,111 posts)H2O Man
(73,506 posts)That is a valid point. An important point. Yet, one can think that Woodward had an obligation as a human being -- assuming one thinks Bob is indeed human -- to release the tapes earlier to document that Trump was engaged in a self-serving series of lies to the American public, that put our health at a much higher risk. However, I would hesitate to say that had he done so, it would have resulted in beneficial changes -- for, exactly as you note, we knew Trump was lying.
liberalmuse
(18,671 posts)We knew. It's just weird that he is stupid enough to admit it on tape. We knew he was an egregious liar, but just seeing how egregious is a bit mind blowing. I don't think I've ever witnessed this kind of evil in a position of power in the US in my lifetime. Sure, Republicans have propped up people who have come close, but Trump is the embodiment of the 7 deadly sins packed in ridiculous clown suit.
RussBLib
(9,002 posts)Woodward adds the dimension of purposeful deceit. As far as reality goes, we could not prove he was lying. After all, he's "stupid". But now, all of his followers appear extra stupid for believing him in the first place.
All those rallies.... No social distancing, no masks, and he knew all along how easy it was to transmit. If I were a trumper, I think I would be a little upset.
leftyladyfrommo
(18,864 posts)poli-junkie
(996 posts)starting with when the Obama pandemic response team/program was dismantled; to when the national PPE & respirator supply was depleted & either sold off or in exchange for foreign favors; to when intelligence sources raised concern in Asia as early as November 2019; to when cases erupted in Wuhan; to when cases appeared in Santa Clara County (way earlier than WA state); to when cases appeared in Iran and Italy; to when cases erupted in WA state; to when air travelers from 1 airplane from Asia were allowed entry into the US, in the dead of night, on the west coast (because they had Republican contacts) with health monitors flown in from the east coast to monitor the health of these well-connected travelers, then allowing these travelers to disperse into our country; to sudden uptick of cases in WA state nursing homes & surrounding areas; to cases appearing in New Rochelle, NY due to a single traveler from Europe; to big case spread & deaths in NY city; to TRUMP admin / Jared hoarding PPE & respirators; to slow walking responses to affected blue states; to TRUMP bullshitting his way through his inane Covid news conferences; etc. etc.
fescuerescue
(4,448 posts)My doctor and I were discussing it in January.