In the War on COVID-19, the President is a Deserter
Set aside the election results, the accusations of voter fraud, the stunted transition and the politics that go with it. And for the sake of some near-term continuity, let’s ignore for the moment the Republican effort to “humor” the incumbent president by not intruding upon his preferred alternative reality — the one in which he believes he can gaslight his way into a second term.
All politics aside, and whether you believe any of the above, one undeniable fact remains: Donald J. Trump is still our President. He “presides” over our country in the executive branch, still fully responsible for delivering on the most important function of the presidency: To protect the national security and safety of the United States.
Trump often said during the campaign that, as president, he didn’t have time to sit in his basement. He had to be out on the frontlines, the war time super-hero president who single-handedly conquered COVID, the larger than life leader-on-the-balcony with the superman shield he would display when he ripped open his shirt (or so he wished).
Whatever preening comic book characterization of himself he fancied, it’s still true that Trump is responsible for leading the battle against the pandemic as any president would during wartime — overseeing battalions of medical professionals, building the…
