Of course he knew. Based on the Chinese reporting, that was a given. If anything, the Chinese were downplaying the virus, that is what authoritarian governments do. However, their actions indicated they were taking it very seriously internally.
So, why did Trump lie? Dealing with a pandemic was politically inconvenient at the time. To do what was necessary would have hurt the economy and worse, the stock market. So he gambled on two things. One, the Chinese would get it under control. If that didn't work, it would go away when the weather warms like the flu does. I doubt if it occurred to him that it would first manifest in the blue states. But if it did, and/or experts pointed it out, that would just be a bonus, politically speaking.
So it was just politics. He gambled and the country lost. Gambling and other people bearing the brunt of any losses is how he rolls. If he had won, everyone would have hailed his genius, standing strong while the Democrats and the experts panicked. |
