NY-22 Minute: Claudia Tenney compares coronavirus reaction to that of Trump's involvement with Russia and Ukraine By Luke Perry
NY-22 Republican primary candidate Claudia Tenney recently Tweeted that reporting on the coronavirus (COVID-19) was part of an effort to criticize President Trump for supposed “treason” and a “cover-up,” similar to “Ukraine” and “Russia.”
The Tweet included “#TDS,” short for “Trump Derangement Syndrome.” The former Congresswoman has previously used this phrase to criticize those who are critical of President Trump.
Tenney’s comments were made in response to @CarpeDonktum, an account linked to a website that develops memes critical of Democrats.
Tenney previously described the Mueller Investigation as a “farse” and “hoax” and criticized the news media for being “obsessed with Russia,” which Tenney believed was “absurd” because they were “screaming about this collusion for a year and they’ve yet to come up with anything.”
In response to Donald Trump’s business and campaign employees becoming felons, including Michael Cohen and Paul Mannafort, Tenney said “a lot of people aren’t happy with the fact we’re convicting one person after another.”
Map of countries with confirmed cases of COVID-19 (U.S. Center of Disease Control and Prevention)
On January 30, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a “public health emergency of international concern.”
According to the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “Older people and people of all ages with severe underlying health conditions — like heart disease, lung disease and diabetes for example — seem to be at higher risk of developing serious COVID-19 illness.”
There were 89 confirmed cases of coronavirus in New York state as of yesterday, per the New York State Department of Health. This number has grown exponentially since the first case was confirmed less than a week ago.
Possible cases in Utica and Rome recently tested negative. Many local organizations, including schools, have begun sharing government public health warnings, taking additional precautions, and developing contingency plans for if the virus emerges locally.
In Seattle, certain businesses have directed their employees to work from home, while the University of Washington transitioned all of its 80,000 students to on-line instruction.
Photo by Gotham Gazette
Congress recently allocated $8 billion to help develop a COVID-19 vaccine and assist state and local governments.
The New York State Legislature allocated $40 million earlier this month. The related state law also expands the governor’s power to respond to “emergencies,” including “disease outbreaks.”
The New York State Health Department reports that COVID-19 “is now spreading worldwide” with “thousands of confirmed cases in a growing number of the countries” and “the virus is now spreading in the United States.”
Yesterday Governor Cuomo declared a state of emergency.
Photo by Hyosub Shin/Atlanta Journal-Constitutio
President Trump visited the CDC on Friday. The organization has faced criticism for “developing and mailing flawed testing kits.”
Trump said “anybody that wants a test can get a test,” and “the tests are all perfect like the letter was perfect and the transcript,” a reference to his communication with Ukraine’s president related to his impeachment.
This conflicts with Vice-President Mike Pence, tasked by the president to lead the COVID-19 response, who said “we don’t have enough tests today to meet what we anticipate will be the demand going forward.”
President Trump also called the governor of Washington, the U.S. state dealing with the biggest COVID-19 outbreak, “a snake,” and spoke of his intelligence regarding the disease, referencing an uncle who was a “great, super genius.”
“I like this stuff. I really get it,” the president said. “People are surprised that I understand it. Every one of these doctors say, ‘How do you know so much about this?’ Maybe I have a natural ability. Maybe I should’ve done that instead of running for president.”
Luke Perry (@PolSciLukePerry) is Professor of Government at Utica College
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