When President Donald Trump began talking to the public about coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in February and March, scientists were stunned at his seeming lack of understanding of the threat.
We assumed that he either refused to listen to the White House briefings that must have been occurring or that he was being deliberately sheltered from information to create plausible deniability for federal inaction.
Now, because famed Washington Post journalist Bob Woodward recorded him, we can hear Trump’s own voice saying that he understood precisely that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was deadly and spread through the air.
As he was playing down the virus to the public, Trump was not confused or inadequately briefed: He flat-out lied, repeatedly, about science to the American people.
These lies demoralized the scientific community and cost countless lives in the United States.
Over the years, this page has commented on the scientific foibles of U.S. presidents. Inadequate action on climate change and environmental degradation during both Republican and Democratic administrations have been criticized frequently.
Editorials have bemoaned endorsements by presidents on teaching intelligent design, creationism, and other antiscience in public schools.
These matters are still important.
But now, a U.S. president has deliberately lied about science in a way that was imminently dangerous to human health and directly led to widespread deaths of Americans.
This may be the most shameful moment in the history of U.S. science policy.
In an interview with Woodward on 7 February 2020, Trump said he knew that COVID-19 was more lethal than the flu and that it spread through the air. “This is deadly stuff,” he said.
But on 9 March, he tweeted that the “common flu” was worse than COVID-19, while economic advisor Larry Kudlow and (✁ for space)
For years there has been a demographic apocalypse coming for the Republican Party, and it looks set to arrive in 2020.
The GOP has been losing the youngest voters by double digits in elections since 2004.
Not only do these voters make up about a 20-year-long bloc of Democratic leaners and stalwarts, they are now aging into higher turnout rates and political power.
Meanwhile, Trumpism and Republicans’ unwillingness to confront it continue to alienate decisive majorities of incoming 18-year-olds. If Republicans don’t turn this trend around soon, they will struggle to be competitive.
Yet most Republicans are in denial about the scale of the problem, as well as its solution.
They dismiss young voters’ ideological leanings as a byproduct of social media or liberal college educations and assert that better messaging or, as the most prominent young conservative commentator Ben Shapiro wrote, “condemning bad behavior” from President Trump would win them back.
But that analysis ignores that the Republican problems stretch to basically all voters under 45.
Decades of data unequivocally reveal that these voters do not share Republican preferences or principles on major issues and would not be won over by anyone “advocating conservative policies.”
They aren’t being driven left by their college professors, but rather by the Republican Party’s spectacular record of policy failure in the 21st century, and getting rid of Trump won’t be nearly enough to win them back.
Half the world doesn’t believe scientists – not science. The two are not the same. The decline in the trust of “experts” is directly proportional to the degree that such experts move out of explaining science and into things like discussing policy. Linus Pauling won the Nobel Prize for his work with Vitamin C – which was brilliant. He spent a good deal of time after talking about economics and public policy – which was laughable.
Cheapskate0 about 4 years ago
How?
allen@home about 4 years ago
Don’t need science for a cure of Trump Fatigue. Just vote the doofus out.
sergioandrade Premium Member about 4 years ago
Should I feel guilty in hoping that since many Trump supporters do not believe in science there will soon be a lot fewer Trump supporters?
whahoppened about 4 years ago
Carmen, the Darwin committee is working on that one.
Ignatz Premium Member about 4 years ago
They will always tell you that they DO believe in science, just a curious form of it that they made up themselves.
I had a guy tell me the other day that science had proven that evolution didn’t happen. He was serious.
Silly Season about 4 years ago
When President Donald Trump began talking to the public about coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in February and March, scientists were stunned at his seeming lack of understanding of the threat.
We assumed that he either refused to listen to the White House briefings that must have been occurring or that he was being deliberately sheltered from information to create plausible deniability for federal inaction.
Now, because famed Washington Post journalist Bob Woodward recorded him, we can hear Trump’s own voice saying that he understood precisely that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was deadly and spread through the air.
As he was playing down the virus to the public, Trump was not confused or inadequately briefed: He flat-out lied, repeatedly, about science to the American people.
These lies demoralized the scientific community and cost countless lives in the United States.
Over the years, this page has commented on the scientific foibles of U.S. presidents. Inadequate action on climate change and environmental degradation during both Republican and Democratic administrations have been criticized frequently.
Editorials have bemoaned endorsements by presidents on teaching intelligent design, creationism, and other antiscience in public schools.
These matters are still important.
But now, a U.S. president has deliberately lied about science in a way that was imminently dangerous to human health and directly led to widespread deaths of Americans.
This may be the most shameful moment in the history of U.S. science policy.
In an interview with Woodward on 7 February 2020, Trump said he knew that COVID-19 was more lethal than the flu and that it spread through the air. “This is deadly stuff,” he said.
But on 9 March, he tweeted that the “common flu” was worse than COVID-19, while economic advisor Larry Kudlow and (✁ for space)
~
https://science.sciencemag.org/content/369/6510/1409.full
Silly Season about 4 years ago
For years there has been a demographic apocalypse coming for the Republican Party, and it looks set to arrive in 2020.
The GOP has been losing the youngest voters by double digits in elections since 2004.
Not only do these voters make up about a 20-year-long bloc of Democratic leaners and stalwarts, they are now aging into higher turnout rates and political power.
Meanwhile, Trumpism and Republicans’ unwillingness to confront it continue to alienate decisive majorities of incoming 18-year-olds. If Republicans don’t turn this trend around soon, they will struggle to be competitive.
Yet most Republicans are in denial about the scale of the problem, as well as its solution.
They dismiss young voters’ ideological leanings as a byproduct of social media or liberal college educations and assert that better messaging or, as the most prominent young conservative commentator Ben Shapiro wrote, “condemning bad behavior” from President Trump would win them back.
But that analysis ignores that the Republican problems stretch to basically all voters under 45.
Decades of data unequivocally reveal that these voters do not share Republican preferences or principles on major issues and would not be won over by anyone “advocating conservative policies.”
They aren’t being driven left by their college professors, but rather by the Republican Party’s spectacular record of policy failure in the 21st century, and getting rid of Trump won’t be nearly enough to win them back.
~
https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2020/09/15/republicans-problems-with-young-voters-go-far-deeper-than-trump/
William Robbins Premium Member about 4 years ago
If you aren’t terrified, you aren’t paying attention. https://twitter.com/paulkrugman/status/1308732221851938817
MollyCat about 4 years ago
Fatigued with John Adams?
casonia2 about 4 years ago
And I find hi.bartley’s combination of scientist and Trump Supporter to be highly improbable.
rossevrymn about 4 years ago
Yeah, Carmen, that half is your team. Buck Stantisfernuthin’ and leave the GOP.
Thinkingblade about 4 years ago
Half the world doesn’t believe scientists – not science. The two are not the same. The decline in the trust of “experts” is directly proportional to the degree that such experts move out of explaining science and into things like discussing policy. Linus Pauling won the Nobel Prize for his work with Vitamin C – which was brilliant. He spent a good deal of time after talking about economics and public policy – which was laughable.
ChukLitl Premium Member about 4 years ago
Science doesn’t care what you believe. Which is a pity because “what you believe” is a relevant data point in the ultimate question; “What the hell?”
mistercatworks about 4 years ago
The voting public can also “work on it”.