So what does a President do when an expert says that everything is not perfect?
By John Welford
@indexer (4852)
Leicester, England
May 8, 2020 6:27am CST
In the case of President Donald Trump, he attacks the expert by claiming that they are spreading "fake news".
The latest instance - unless there has been another one in the meantime - concerns Sophia Thomas, who is President of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners. She stated that provision of PPE (Personal Protection Equipment) for nurses is "sporadic", in that it is not always available at the times and places when and where it is needed.
This was not what Donald wanted to hear. His reply was "Sporadic for you, but not sporadic for a lot of other people". So in one sense he was admitting that she was correct, but also implying that she was an exception and that everything was quite all right elsewhere.
But hang on a minute. The lady in question has a national responsibility and is therefore best able to give a view on this issue because she has her finger on the pulse and knows exactly what is going on. She used the word "sporadic" advisedly, because she is aware that some places will be OK but others not.
Trump later said that hospitals are “loaded up with gowns” and that reports about PPE shortages were “fake news.”
So who are you more likely to believe is better informed on this matter? The President of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners or the President who cannot allow anything to detract from his re-election bid?
6 people like this
8 responses
@akashray1990 (327)
•
8 May 20
Trump is really a Joker. He should not get re-elected
1 person likes this
@Jessicalynnt (50523)
• Centralia, Missouri
8 May 20
The President of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners for sure.
@Namelesss (3365)
• United States
8 May 20
Guess you missed the point. Did you watch the whole conference or just the news blurbs. What she said and what he said were both true.
@indexer (4852)
• Leicester, England
9 May 20
What he said in his "sporadic" line was a meaningless statement. The word means that something is incomplete and only happens at irregular intervals. If provision of PPE is OK at point A but not OK at point B, then the point B person will have a sporadic supply but the person at point A will not. That does not mean that the overall situation is acceptable, which is what Trump wanted to say.
This is a standard response of officialdom to complaints about poor service by government agencies. It generally takes the form of "OK, you've got a problem, but - in general terms - everything is fine because nobody else is complaining". In other words, the problem is ignored because there are not enough complaints.
However, in this case the response will not wash. If you have Covid-19, you want to be assured that the hospital you go to has all the equipment necessary to save you. You not want to play some form of Russian roulette with your life. The situation is not OK unless PPE supplies are adequate nationwide, so a charge that the supply is sporadic should be taken very seriously and not brushed under the carpet.
@Namelesss (3365)
• United States
9 May 20
@indexer Yes, but laying all the responsibility at the presidents feet is just plain shortsighted. The federal government afforded aid and backup while local governments are responsible for their own states.
@Lavanya15 (12888)
• Chennai, India
8 May 20
I think now he mainly focus on Election so not taking care about those..
1 person likes this
