"Now we have tested almost 40 million people. By so doing, we show cases, 99% of which are totally harmless." President Trump (July 4, 2020)
At some point, putting others' lives at risk should have legal consequences. The president's July 4 statement, flatly proclaimed without hint of speculation or possibility of error, is going to result in deaths. Of all the lies spewed for months, for all of the garbage projections and opinions regarding wish fulfillment cures and outcomes, this July 4 statement stands as the worst of the worst. Trump followers, emboldened by this comment, will take risks they otherwise might not have taken. It's a statement that will undeniably have blood on its hands.
I'm not sure why this kind of lie is legal. It's not simply an uninformed opinion. President Trump has access to every shred of medical data in the United States. It's not a question of gray area debate. The 99% figure is utterly wrong with or without the damning adjective "totally." The man made a decision to have more people die by voicing this statement. He purposefully included the qualifier "totally" so as to make as uncompromising a point as possible. He didn't just lie. He determined in advance, knowing the effects his words would have, to lie hard.
President Trump made a completely false statement which he knew would result in deaths, and he did it regardless of consequences. As the theater lobby catches on fire, the president strolls to the restrooms to tell those inside to take their time, everything is fine.
Quick Numbers
Roughly 20% of virus victims in the United States require hospitalization. The mortality rate in the U.S. is more than four percent. Many long-term debilitating effects result from "mild cases" not requiring hospitalization, as discussed today by The Guardian's Adrienne Matei.
Death by Impact
Words have power. Considering how "the base" treats President Trump's words as gospel, what must it be like to lie to people and have them believe you, evidence to the contrary? What a power trip, sending your followers to their deaths, but obliquely, gently, the dying of their own direct doing. Hypnotic suicide, really. Statistically provable, as demonstrated by studies of Fox News effects. What a high. What a narcissistic skydive. Everyone jumps when you tell them, and not all of them have chutes.
Bob Dietz
July 6, 2020
