The Presidential Events: July 2020

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Some brief thoughts before The Presidential Events of July 2020. As the coronavirus crisis worsens there isn't any coordinated effort to protect people from the pandemic. Instead Republicans, under the leadership of Donald Trump are trying to convince the public that there is no problem, and even if there is, which there isn't, there's nothing anyone could have done, or can do, to prevent it. The President can't be blamed for a problem that doesn't exist, or that can't be solved.

And when media claim that mask are politicized I want to scream! It's insane to blame both sides when one side is making reasonable arguments and the other side is spouting absurdly dangerous conspiracy theories. This isn't a two party problem. It's the fault of the officials running around like madmen. The same problem spills over into global warming. The issue has been politicized, but only by one party (though Democrats, under a potential Joe Biden presidency, are only looking to temporarily extend the life of the frog).


Russia Bounty Scandal

The CIA chose not to tell the President about the bounties placed on US forces in Afghanistan by Russia. The President's circle claims the intelligence was withheld because it was unverified. Bolton claimed that this was unlikely. Either the CIA did not tell the President because they didn't trust him, or they did tell him and he is lying. Or the CIA told him and he forgot.

John Bolton and Mary Trump

Former National Security Advisor John Bolton, and Donald Trump's niece, Mary Trump, released books critical of the President. Mary Trump, through a series of examples, described the President as a cheat, idiot, miser, and misogynist. This isn't news to anyone, and won't change any opinions. A judge ruled in favor of Mary Trump, allowing her to discuss her book. Bolton continued to criticize the President, insinuating that Trump spent more time watching TV than working.

Staff

As polling turned against the President, he fired his campaign manager. He continued to defend and promote absurd people for executive positions. He planned to reinstall Sebastian Gorka, a former aide who left in disgrace. Now Trump wants him back on the National Security Education Board. Gorka has repeatedly expressed Islamophobic beliefs. Trump continued to support Brig. Gen. Anthony Tata for a top Pentagon position, even (or because of) his racist statements, like President Obama was a “terrorist leader.” The Senate confirmed acting officer, Russ Vought to officially lead the Office of Management and Budget. Trump also nominated Army Col. Douglas Macgregor as the next Ambassador to Germany.

Trump's Supreme Court

While Democrats celebrated some minor victories at the Supreme Court, they suffered more defeats The Supreme Court began by protecting Trump's tax returns from public view. They weakened the precedent of congressional oversight, imposing limit on Congress' subpoena powers. With these newly installed limits the President can to ignore Congress. There will be limited oversight of the executive branch. Trump's tax returns may become public, but not before the election. The House immediately moved to reinvigorate its investigation, and the President prepared to stall.

The Supreme Court also ruled that teachers at religious schools have no protections. Religious administrations can discriminate against their employees on the basis of race, gender, sexual orientation, or personal beliefs. The Supreme Court temporarily ruled that the first federal execution in 17th years be put on hold. Two days later, the Supreme Court allowed it to proceed. In a four day period the federal government executed three people. That's the same amount that were killed in the last twenty years. The Supreme Court ruled that 1 million Floridians can't vote until they pay their fines and fees related to their imprisonment. For many, it's a modern day poll tax on a constitutional right. They restricted the ability of citizens to vote during a pandemic, by allowing Alabama and Texas to implement onerous restrictions on voting by mail.


Foreign Policy

Despite the President's pledge to earn the respect of the world, the image of the United States continued to suffer internationally. Recent actions by China pressured Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo to seek allies. Unfortunately an America First policy, and a bullying attitude toward former allies, found no takers. Bolton's book, which barely impacted domestic politics, upset traditional allies by illustrating how little Trump cared about them.

Perhaps that's why North Korea felt comfortable expressing no interest in further discussions with the United States. China moved forward with their authoritarian absorption of Hong Kong, supported by many South American, African, Asian, and Middle Eastern countries seeking to curry favor. Only the traditional allies of Western Europe, Canada, and New Zealand rebuked China. The United States barely commented, but later criticized the delay of Hong Kong elections, days after the President proposed the same plan in the United States. The United State's weak response demonstrated the administration's willingness to forgo any principle to earn China's favor.

Culture War Speeches

With Biden polling near a double digit lead, the President doubled down on division. At his 4th of July speech Trump attacked his usual targets, turning the normally non-partisan event into an Us against Them campaign rally. While the coronavirus killed more than a hundred thousand citizens, the President attacked protesters as traitors. He demanded NASCAR's sole African American driver, Bubba Wallace, apologize after the FBI determined that the noose left in his garage was not a hate crime. Mike Pompeo claimed that property rights and religious liberty were the only serious human rights. His actions have demonstrated that he only means the property rights of the wealthy, and the religious rights of mainstream Christian organizations.

Then there was the collection of events related to the Pandemic and the Black Lives Matter protests.

Black Lives Matter

A). Protests

The public learned that military troops sent to violently evict peaceful protesters in DC were armed with bayonets. A National Guard officer criticized the deployment of troops. The more recent event was the protests in Portland Oregon. Federal agents in camouflage abducted protesters off the streets in unmarked vans. They used YouTube videos to identity and arrest protesters. Under the order of the President, the Department of Homeland Security unleashed violence against the city. When the Governor, Mayor, and Senators asked the federal government to remove its troops, Acting Secretary of DHS Chad Wolf said, “We will not retreat.” DHS teargassed the Mayor. DHS arrested at least 18 people. Defense Secretary Mark Esper weakly pleaded with his boss to withdraw, and the DOJ opened an investigation into the use of federal forces in Portland. Trump refused to back down, promising the deployment of DHS to occupy other cities across the country. But on July 31st, after Federal troops withdrew from downtown Portland, the night was peaceful.

DHS's aggressive behavior was allowed because Trump abused the appointment process. Acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf has been in the position, unconfirmed, for 472 days. Acting positions were supposed allow short term appointments, but the Senate Republican has allowed the President to abuse this power. Unconfirmed positions allow for abuse with a lack of transparency and accountability. It allowed Chad Wolf to deploy border agents, acting with near immunity, against American civilians. But it was possible because these powers are intrinsic to DHS. Lawless arrests. Authoritarian overreach. Progressive Senator Russ Feingold warned of the danger, and voted against the creation of DHS. He was only one of nine Senators to vote against it. Joe Biden voted for it.

B) White Supremacy and The Confederacy

There is little doubt that the President sympathizes with white supremacy. As protesters took down Confederate statues, the President defended them. The President hasn't yet defended Nazi's, but he does defend racist traitors. When the House amended the defense bill to remove Confederate names from military bases, Trump threatened to veto the bill (he also planned to veto the coronavirus relief bill if it didn't include a payroll tax cut). The House passed the bill anyways. The Senate did too. The President's handpicked Joint Chiefs Chairman, Gen. Mark Milley, had the guts to say, "The American Civil War … was an act of treason at the time against the Union, against the Stars and Stripes, against the U.S. Constitution — and those officers turned their backs on their oath.” Meanwhile Trump said that BLM and the Confederacy were the same, and defended the use of the Confederate flag. The President also said it was a tragedy when white people were killed by police. It is, so why doesn't he want any reform? Because he doesn't care that police kill civilians, he just says stuff to muddy the conversation.

Trump also declared his intention to exclude immigrants from the census. He already tried to exclude immigrants by adding a question to the census, but the Supreme Court nixed that. The President has no power to do either unilaterally. And on an unrelated note, former deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein advised that there was no age limit on child separations.

Pandemic

A) Economic Damage

Because June offered a temporary bounce of economic recovery, the President hyped it like a return to normal. The report, released in July, included 4.8 million new jobs, but a lingering 11% unemployment rate. That was the only good news. July recorded the 17th week of 1 million unemployment requests. The federal Payroll Protection Program was revealed to include massive fraud, allowing the embezzlement by the wealthy, well connected, and massive corporations. The billionaire, Kanye West, received millions, as did multiple companies connected to Jared Kushner. At least five and a half million workers lost health insurance, and the number is bound to be larger because of their dependents. Trump worsened the crisis by reintroducing insufficient, scam-like, health insurance plans. Some warned of dire economic circumstances if Congress and the President failed to act. Congress, under Republican control, failed to pass any housing or paycheck relief before adjourning. The numbers for the quarter were atrocious. The GDP contracted 32.9%, the worst since World War II.

B) The Coronavirus

The month of July started off poorly, with a new record of 52,000 daily cases. While the President planned his rally in New Hampshire, Dr. Fauci urged against large gatherings. At least the Trump campaign finally urged, but did not mandate, wearing masks at the event. The rally was canceled. Trump said it was due to the weather, but others speculated that the President feared another low turnout event like Tulsa. The Tulsa Health Department Director reported a spike in coronavirus cases, and attributed it to the rally in June. And former Republican candidate Herman Cain, who claimed that masks were part of the coronavirus hoax, became ill with the virus after attending the President's 4th of July rally. He died on July 30th.


The number of new daily cases rose to 55,000, and peaked at 77,255. The seven day average from July 13th to the end of the month remained above 60,000. As the United States passed 3 million cases, Trump claimed the US was doing well. He also claimed, and his claim was echoed by Mark Meadows his chief of staff, that over 99% of cases were harmless. The head of the FDA refused to correct the President. According to John Hopkins and the New York Times, the current death rate in the United States is 3.3%. That is only the death rate, and does not include all the people who suffer acutely but recover, or those who live the rest of their life with chronic effects. By the end of the month the United States recorded 4 million cases, and the daily death rate rose above 1,000 for the first time since early June. The President lied when he claimed that the US had better testing and lower mortality rates than other countries.



In spite of the rising cases the Trump administration doubled down on restarting schools in the fall. Education Secretary Betsy De Vos and Vice President Mike Pence demanded children return to the physical buildings. Their only purpose was to enforce a sense of normalcy and score political points. Though the White House said it was safe for students to crowd together, Trump canceled the Republican National Convention in Florida.

A few other tidbits. The White House failed at tracking the virus, leading to additional deaths. Chris Christie made hundred of thousands of dollars lobbying on the coronavirus.


The Russia Investigation, Corruption, and Insanity

It wouldn't be a month of events if it didn't include a coda of the craziest, most corrupt, and ethically disgusting decisions of the administration.

The Russia investigation won't be over until Trump is no longer the President. Lt Col Alexander Vindman, who testified against the President, retired because of a “campaign of bullying, intimidation, and retaliation,” encouraged by Trump. Trump commuted Roger Stone's sentence. Stone had been sentenced for obstructing the investigation into any connections between Trump and Russia. A commuted sentence maintains the convicted's guilt, but removes their punishment. Robert Mueller, who oversaw the investigation, condemned the commutation. At a House Judiciary Committee meeting, AG Barr ranted against Democratic oversight.


At a press conference after Ghislaine Maxell was arrested, the President said, “I wish her well.” This is the associate of Jeffery Epstein, accused of training young girls for him and other powerful individuals to abuse.

One of the worst abuses of the Obama administration was its failure to prosecute torturers (and bankers during the financial crisis). One of the people who wrote legal memos justifying torture for the Bush administration, John Yoo, began working with the Trump White House to rule by executive fiat.

When Fox news asked the President if he would accept the results of an electoral loss, he refused to answer. As the month ended, and the economic damage rolled in, the President suggested the election be delayed. He lied about the dangers of vote by mail. And he doubled down saying, “This [election] will be catastrophic for our nation.” With that attitude, and all the sabotage, it will indeed.

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