A Complete Analysis Of Trump’s 174th Unpresidented Week As POTUS

President Donald J. Trump meets with Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson and Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly Wednesday, May 20, 2020, in the Cabinet Room of the White House. (Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead)

Trump’s first major typo after winning the election was spelling Unprecedented incorrectly. He infamously tweeted “Unpresidented.” This typo is emblematic of his administration: An impulsive, frantically thrown together group of characters with virtually no oversight. After Trump was sworn in, I started writing the weekly “Unpresidented” column, analyzing every week of his presidency. This is week 174.

We’re approaching 100k coronavirus deaths, with health workers and other essential workers on the frontline of this fight among them. On a weekend that is dedicated to memorializing those who have died in service of our country, the President of the United States spent two days of it golfing.

The New York Times memorialized the nearly 100,000 people who have died of COVID-19 in America on their front page, naming 1,000 of those lost and a little bit about the lives they each lived. The President, on the other hand, oscillated from the golf course to Twitter rampages that included falsely accusing Joe Scarborough of murder.

The week that preceded this weekend’s events was filled with wild occurrences. While President Trump tried to change the subject by dubiously claiming he has been taking the unproven drug hydroxychloroquine as a prophylactic and openly extorting states with mail-in voting, one of the biggest corruption scandals of his presidency zeroed in on Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Let’s start there.

We learned more details about the ousting of Steve Linick, the State Department Inspector General who was probing Pompeo’s conduct when he was terminated. We learned that he was probing the Trump Administration’s Saudi Arm’s deal that Congress opposed and other potentially corrupt conduct involving Pompeo. Pompeo admitted that he recommended the firing of Linick. In a normal world, Pompeo would immediately resign. But this is the standard operating procedure for the Trump Administration, as this was the fifth Inspector General who has been fired over the course of six weeks.

This was also a terrible week for the US intelligence community and our national security as a whole. The US has withdrawn from the crucial Open Skies treaty which permitted the unarmed surveillance of allies and adversaries alike. In another blow, Rep. John Ratcliffe was confirmed to the position of Director of National Intelligence in a party-line vote by the Senate GOP.

Ratcliffe will do to the Intelligence Community what Barr has done to the DOJ. As he demonstrated during the House impeachment hearings, he will be nothing but another partisan tool in an outsized position of power who will bend it to Trump’s will. Republicans who confirmed Ratcliffe will own every authoritarian move he makes in the comings months.

Ratcliffe will be in charge of the declassification of the Senate Russia report, among other things. Watch to see if the Trump Administration “suddenly discovers” intelligence that coronavirus was engineered in a Wuhan lab. Watch how the new Senate Russia report is selectively declassified. Watch how Ratcliffe gives Barr and Senate GOP everything they need for their Obamagate charade. With Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-SC) set to hold Obamagate hearings this Summer, except corrupt uses of intel like what Grenell pulled.

Graham has said that the hearings will begin in early June. While Graham has said he will not call Obama to testify, he has indicated he will target Obama officials. The list includes former Attorney General Loretta Lynch, former national intelligence director James Clapper, former CIA Director John Brennan, and former FBI Director James Comey. Prepare for a banana republic-style shitshow.

Speaking of authoritarian shitshows, President Trump sent tweets threatening to extort Michigan and Nevada for sending absentee ballot applications to voters. It’s important to note that we’re in the middle of a deadly pandemic that puts their lives at risk if they vote in person. Trump and his Press Secretary Kaleigh McEnany claimed there’s a potential for mass voter fraud in mail-in voting. This is a massive lie. News21 found only 2,068 cases of voter fraud between 2000-2012. 25% were fraudulent absentee ballots. 35% of all allegations resulted in either acquittal, dismissal, or no charge.

In another attempt at deflection, President Trump said that he’s been regularly taking hydroxychloroquine for weeks. Trump went on to advocate its use, even after the FDA warned against it due to the fact it causes heart complications. Fox News, which was among the only networks airing the remarks, had a good moment of truth for once. Immediately after airing Trump’s remarks about hydroxychloroquine and Trump asked “what do you have to lose?”, Fox News Anchor Neil Cavuto said you could lose your life. Cavuto cited multiple studies and said if you’re vulnerable “this will kill you.”

It’s important to note that Trump is now saying he doesn’t take the drug. It’s reasonable to speculate that he was never taking it. You’re telling me an overweight 73-year-old who eats big macs and drinks 12 diet cokes a day has the heart health to take hydroxychloroquine every day? A drug that has heart complications as a side effect and no proven preventative benefits? Not buying it.

The Trump Administration’s dishonest deflections and attempts to distract have been nauseating. They are seemingly unconcerned about how history will depict their shameless depravity. When the dust settles and the gaslighting subsides, all those involved with this will be objectively depicted as the villains they are in the objective texts of history.

Let’s dive into yet another Unpresidented week.

Pompeo’s Corruption

Day 1,215: Monday, May 18

CIA Director Mike Pompeo, listens during a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, May 11, 2017. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Monday’s top stories:

• Politico: Fired watchdog was investigating arms sales to Saudi Arabia
• NBC News: Fired State Department watchdog was looking into whether Pompeo made staffer walk his dog, pick up laundry
• CNN: Pompeo says he asked Trump to fire inspector general because he was ‘undermining’ the State Department
• NBC News: Coronavirus live updates: U.S. death toll tops 90,000 as number of cases reaches 1.5 million
• CBS News: The government whistleblower who says the Trump administration’s coronavirus response has cost lives
• Politico: Lindsey Graham seeks broad authority to subpoena former Obama administration officials
• NPR: Despite FDA Caution, Trump Says He Is Taking Hydroxychloroquine As A Preventive
• The New York Times: Moderna Coronavirus Vaccine Trial Shows Promising Early Results
• NBC News: WHO faces global call for pandemic investigation at general assembly
• CNBC: Obama criticizes coronavirus response — leaders ‘aren’t even pretending to be in charge’
• CNBC: Dow surges more than 900 points in best day since early April amid hope for coronavirus vaccine
• TheHill: Oregon judge halts statewide coronavirus restrictions
• Politico: Fed’s Powell warns unemployment could reach Depression-level 25 percent
• NBC News: Barr says it’s unlikely Justice Department will investigate Obama or Biden
• CNN: Navajo Nation surpasses New York state for the highest Covid-19 infection rate in the US
• CNN: Pompeo backs away from theory he and Trump were pushing that coronavirus originated in Wuhan lab
• The Guardian: Democrats feel tide turning their way in battle to flip US Senate
• Bloomberg: Over 100 Million in China’s Northeast Face Renewed Lockdown
• CNN: China has been trying to avoid fallout from coronavirus. Now 100 countries are pushing for an investigation
• Rantt Media: How Governor Cuomo Flattened New York’s COVID-19 Curve
• Rantt Media: Which States Have Flattened The Coronavirus Curve?

Manipulated Data?

Day 1,216: Tuesday, May 19

President Donald J. Trump, joined by Vice President Mike Pence and members of the White House COVID-19 Coronavirus task force – – Thursday, April 16, 2020. (Official White House Photo by Joyce N. Boghosian)

Tuesday’s top stories:

• The Daily Beast: Florida’s Coronavirus Dashboard Architect: I Was Fired for Not Manipulating Data
• Yahoo News: Questions arise on coronavirus data used to back reopenings
• CNN: Trump threatens to permanently pull funding from WHO and ‘reconsider’ US membership
• CNN: Judge allows fraud suit against Trump, family and company to proceed
• CNN: Marco Rubio named acting Intelligence chairman after Burr steps down amid investigation
• NBC News: Trump’s risky new re-election strategy: Waging war with Obama
• The Guardian: Strikes erupt as US essential workers demand protection amid pandemic
• The Texas Tribune: Federal judge says all Texas voters can apply to vote by mail during pandemic
• Rantt Media: Here’s Why Donald Trump Is So Nervous About The Election
• Yahoo News: New polls show trouble for Trump and Republicans in GOP strongholds
• The Daily Beast: Editor of Medical Journal Cited in Trump’s Wild Letter to the WHO Has Debunked It
• NBC News: Trump’s trip to the Hill was all about campaign, not coronavirus
• The Daily Beast: Nancy Pelosi Calls Trump ‘Morbidly Obese’
• Business Insider: Trump says he’s ‘looking for a new outlet’ after Fox News anchor expressed shock at the president’s announcement that he takes hydroxychloroquine
• Business Insider: Instead of relief checks, 4 million Americans will get prepaid debit cards this week, Treasury says
• Business Insider: The US Postal Service now has 5,000 employees in quarantine and only enough cash to last through September
• Bloomberg: India’s Virus Cases Cross 100,000, Jump at Fastest Pace in Asia
• The Guardian: Brazil overtakes UK as country with third-highest coronavirus cases
• CNN: India and Bangladesh brace for the strongest storm ever recorded in the Bay of Bengal

Trump’s War On Accountability

Day 1,217: Wednesday, May 20

President Donald Trump, May 30, 2018, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Wednesday’s top stories:

• Rantt Media: By Firing 5 Inspectors General, Trump Wages War On Accountability
• ABC News: Pompeo refuses to explain why he recommended inspector general’s firing
• NBC News: Pompeo’s elite taxpayer-funded dinners raise new concerns
• CNN: ‘We’ve been muzzled’: CDC sources say White House putting politics ahead of science
• The Washington Post: Trump escalates campaign to discredit mail balloting, threatening federal funds to two battleground states
• CBS News: State of emergency in central Michigan after two dams fail, forcing 10,000 to evacuate
• NBC News: WHO reports most coronavirus cases in one day as total number nears 5 million
• CNN: All states are partially reopen leaving Americans to weigh the risk of venturing out again
• NBC News: Supreme Court temporarily blocks Mueller grand jury material from being turned over to House
• Los Angeles Times: Justice Department warns California coronavirus rules may violate religious freedoms
• Politico: McConnell vows end to enhanced unemployment benefits
• ABC News: McConnell endorses Senate Republican investigation of Mueller probe
• CNN: Federal judge rules Texans afraid of catching Covid-19 can vote by mail
• CNN: CDC’s Redfield in the hot seat as White House looks for someone to blame
• CNN: Michael Cohen to be released Thursday and will serve remaining prison sentence at home
• CBS News: Biden inches closer to nomination with Oregon primary win
• Politico: Trump administration declassifies full Susan Rice email sent on Inauguration Day
• TheHill: Susan Rice calls for Flynn-Kislyak transcripts to be released
• Vox: A QAnon supporter just won a Republican primary for US Senate
• Rantt Media: Is COVID-19 Sparking A Temporary Fall Of The Radical Right in Europe?

Blows To The US Intelligence Community

Day 1,218: Thursday, May 21

Thursday’s top stories:

• The Guardian: Trump loyalist John Ratcliffe confirmed as new US intelligence chief
• American Military News: Pompeo announces US withdrawal from major Open Skies US-Russia treaty for nuke surveillance
• The New York Times: Lockdown Delays Cost at Least 36,000 Lives, Data Show
• CNN: At least 4 states combined numbers from two tests, possibly providing a misleading picture of coronavirus spread
• Reuters: Global coronavirus cases surpass 5 million, infections rising in South America
• Axios: Coronavirus cases are on the rise across the South
• NBC News: Man who recorded Ahmaud Arbery’s shooting death on video arrested on murder charges
• CBS News: Three shot in newly-reopened Westgate Entertainment District outside Phoenix
• Politico: Sen. Loeffler’s husband cuts $1 million check to pro-Trump super PAC
• CBS News: Trump surprises Ford officials by not wearing mask for entire visit
• The New York Times: For Spy Agencies, Briefing Trump Is a Test of Holding His Attention
• CBS News: Biden asks Amy Klobuchar to undergo vetting to be running mate
• Reuters: Biden’s presidential campaign raises $43.7 million in April
• Politico: Warren pivots on Medicare for All in bid to become Biden’s VP
• Newsweek: Michigan voters back Gov. Whitmer’s handling of COVID-19 over Donald Trump’s: poll
• NPR: Researchers: Nearly Half Of Accounts Tweeting About Coronavirus Are Likely Bots
• CNN: Sweden is still nowhere near ‘herd immunity,’ even though it didn’t go into lockdown
• Axios: U.S.-made ventilators arrive in Russia as part of a $5.6 million coronavirus package
• The Guardian: ‘This is the end of Hong Kong’: China pushes controversial security laws
• Rantt Media: Right-Wing Conspiracy Theories Are Stranger Than 20th-Century Fiction

Trump’s Church Demand

Day 1,219: Friday, May 22

Donald Trump speaks during a church service at Great Faith Ministries, Saturday, Sept. 3, 2016, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Friday’s top stories:

• Politico: Behind Trump’s demand to reopen churches: Slipping poll numbers and alarm inside his campaign 
• Rantt Media: Nihilism And Hypocrisy Is The GOP’s COVID-19 Response
• The Wall Street Journal: Coronavirus Infections Jump by More Than a Million Globally in Two Weeks
• Bloomberg: Americans Venture Out for Holiday Travel in Test of Containment
• CNN: Large study finds drug Trump touted for Covid-19 is linked to greater risk of death and heart arrhythmia
• Yahoo News: Biden apologizes for telling radio host ‘you ain’t black’ if you are considering voting for Trump
• The Washington Post: Virus ‘does not spread easily’ from contaminated surfaces or animals, revised CDC website states
• CNN: CDC estimates that 35% of coronavirus patients don’t have symptoms
• Miami Herald: When DeSantis issued stay-at-home order, Florida had already logged 188 COVID-19 deaths
• CNN: Pompeo ordered officials to find a way to justify Saudi arms sale being probed by fired watchdog
• CNN: US clears way for new arms sale to UAE, despite evidence it violated last one
• NBC News: 6 months on, Trump hasn’t completed his physical. The White House won’t say why.
• The Daily Beast: Dr. Fauci Re-Emerges From Media Blackout, Says We’ll Be ‘Seeing More’ of Him
• CNN: Trump battles with Michigan’s female Democratic leaders in key 2020 swing state
• NPR: Michigan AG Says She ‘Will Not Remain Silent’ As Trump Risks Public Health
• CBS News: Michigan sends all registered voters absentee ballot applications following days of controversy
• Reuters: Dozens of Chinese companies added to U.S. blacklist in latest Beijing rebuke
• Reuters: South America a new COVID epicenter, Africa reaches 100,000 cases, WHO says
• CNN: Pakistan passenger flight crashes in Karachi
• The Guardian: ‘We’ve never seen this’: wildlife thrives in closed US national parks