6 Ways Trump Is Exploiting This Pandemic For Political Gain
As the rest of the world scrambles to alleviate the effects of the coronavirus, President Trump is using it to advance his agenda.
By Karen J. Greenberg
Via The Nation and TomDispatch.
“Whether Trump is fiddling these days or not, one thing is certain: in a Nero-like fashion, he continues to be irresponsibly unresponsive to the crisis caused by Covid-19.”
“Once past this crisis, it will be crucial for Americans to remind one another of the fundamentals of a secure democracy in which respect for immigrants, the desire for peace, election safeguards, and a respect for internationalism can be allowed to thrive even in times of turmoil. Otherwise, Covid-19 could usher in the ultimate success of Donald Trump’s destructive agenda.”
1. THE SOUTHERN BORDER
Since the day he entered the Oval Office, Trump has been focused on closing and sealing the border between Mexico and the United States. Incrementally, his administration had moved from incarcerating upwards of 50,000 migrants and asylum seekers attempting to enter the United States at that border to—in the wake of the coronavirus—closing it completely to nonessential traffic and anyone trying to claim asylum. Migrants who enter the US illegally now will be returned to their native countries illegally. “Border security is health security,” the president claims.
2. THE CENSUS
The Census has long been a source of contention for this president. He waged a campaign to exclude noncitizens from participating in it only to be stalled in his efforts by the justices of the Supreme Court who decided that they needed more information to make a final decision on the subject. The issue at hand is that Census results are used to determine how many congressional seats (based on population) are to be given to each state. If immigrants, both legal and undocumented, are not counted—and estimates are that roughly 6.5 million people fall into those two categories—then fewer politicians and less federal funding will be distributed to areas with more sizable populations of them.
3. GLOBAL CONFLICTS
In his three years in office, Trump has escalated tensions with numerous powers, China and Iran in particular. In the period leading up to the global spread of the virus, China had already taken on special enemy status. In January, the president imposed yet more tariffs on that country’s products while sanctions on $370 billion worth of Chinese imports were left in place even though his administration claimed to have successfully concluded what he called “phase one” of a future trade deal.
4. ISOLATIONISM
Since the onset of his presidency, Trump has sought to separate the United States from allies and diminish its participation in international treaties and agreements of all sorts. He, for instance, withdrew from the nuclear agreement with Iran and announced his intention to pull the United States out of the Paris climate accord. As if to put a fine point on his disapproval of global engagement, there has also been a wholesale reduction in the size of the State Department in his years in office. A hiring freeze from the spring of 2017 to the spring of 2018 was reinforced by recommendations from Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and his successor, Mike Pompeo, which reduced the State Department’s operating budget by one-third, while many key ambassadorships went unfilled. Today, 13 percent of them remain vacant.
5. PROSECUTIONS
The coronavirus has also put on hold an array of investigations into the president’s personal and professional dealings. As of March 16, the Supreme Court closed its doors to the public and postponed oral arguments in pending cases. It is now operating in remote capacity. This means a Supreme Court argument scheduled for this session about whether New York prosecutors and the House of Representatives can have access to the president’s financial records will not take place in the foreseeable future. In addition to their subpoenaing his financial records, New York prosecutors launched multiple investigations last spring into the president’s businesses, some of which continue to this day. Recently, Trump called upon Governor Andrew Cuomo and state District Attorney Letitia James to “stop” all of their state’s “unnecessary lawsuits & harassment.” Now, he may get his wish, as the state courts, like the federal courts, are proceeding with reduced speed, staff, and activities.
6. RIGGED ELECTIONS
Trump has long cast doubts on the viability of presidential elections. As the 2016 campaign played out, for instance, he was already expressing his fears of a “rigged election.” He accused the media of misreporting and twisting the preferences of voters in support of Hillary Clinton, while later claiming her campaign had meddled in the election process. The 2018 election only brought a further sense of distrust to the proceedings, as accusations of voter fraud, voting machine malfunctions, and voter suppression marred the process in states like Florida and Georgia. The result: The groundwork has been laid for ever greater distrust of such elections, even though they are the sine qua non of a functioning democracy.
