Donald Trump’s mask is cracking
Get ready folks. The masks are coming off. For almost four years of the COVID-19 pandemic we took every precaution trying to stave off crippling long-term ailments and death. Of course, millions of reckless MAGA who bought into Trump’s deadly anti-vax, anti-mask misinformation refused to take the most basic precautions. Over one million people died, at least half of whom unnecessarily. That makes Trump a mass murderer in my book.
But then Biden was elected, and things stabilized. The illness was contained with a successful national roll-out of free vaccines, free testing, and personal safety supplies widely available. Getting back to normal is surreal. It feels weird to go out in public, and even weirder not wearing a mask. (Many of us still wear masks in public, I will continue to wear a mask in airports, on planes, and in other crowded areas indefinitely).
And now, the other pandemic, the Trumpandemic, is ending. This November, when Trump loses in a landslide, if he’s even the candidate, it will finally be over. It will feel surreal. Many of us refuse to even recognize Trump was a legitimate president. My favorite is Mary Trump who creatively finds ways to avoid calling him “former President” even when quoting others. I also respect how she refuses to use her own last name and just calls him Donald.
Anyway, how do we know the Trumpandemic is almost over? His mask of invincibility is cracking. Despite the first day of the Manhattan DA’s 2016 election interference trial being cut short for Passover and a juror’s dental emergency, it was devastating to Trump. The prosecution’s opening statement laid out the catch-and-kill operation and the first key witness David Pecker who set up the operation testified that his tabloid the National Enquirer indeed used “checkbook journalism” to kill the story.
Also, this weekend, the bill to fund Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan passed the House with bipartisan support. If it had passed six months ago the GOP could have had the same bill with Republican border security attached. Instead, the MAGA movement ended up splintered. Speaker Johnson flipped his stance on Ukraine after seeing the intelligence. Now, Trump has suddenly flipped, ostensibly because in swing states Putin’s approval rating with Republicans is in single digits. It’s more likely due to Putin’s long-term strategy. Either way, it won’t help Trump in November.
The bottom line is, soon we will breathe easier. The masks are coming off. Biden is now and will remain our president. VOTE blue.
Chicago native Lorraine Evanoff earned her degree in French from DePaul University then became a Certified Financial Manager. She worked as a finance exec in film production for seven years in Paris, then in Silicon Valley during the dot-com era, and later for various Hollywood production companies, notably as CFO of National Lampoon. She is currently living in Los Angeles with her husband.