Pelosi on calling Trump ‘morbidly obese’: ‘I didn’t know he’d be so sensisitve’

After House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told CNN that she was concerned about Donald Trump’s daily intake of hydroxychloroquine because of its reported side effects and his weight and heart conditions, the president called her a “waste of time”.

Speaker Pelosi said the president was “morbidly obese”. Mr Trump has previously attacked overweight women, calling comedian Rosie O’Donnell a “fat pig” and ordering a Miss Universe contestant to lose weight.

Asked about her remarks, the president called her “sick” and accused her of having “mental problems”.

In response, Speaker Pelosi told CNN: “I didn’t know that he would be so sensitive. He’s always talking about other people’s weight, their pounds, so — I don’t want to spend any more time on his distraction because as you see in the last couple of days, so much of the time has been spent on what he said rather than that, I think he should recognize his words weigh a ton.”

Gorka: I’ve been taking hydroxychloroquine for more than a month

Former Trump adviser and right-wing commentator Sebastian Gorka has emerged to defend the president’s use of hydroxychloroquine as an unproven and potentially dangerous preventative treatment against coronavirus.

In an Instagram post, Mr Gorka said he’s been taking hydroxychloroquine for more than a month. Mr Trump said he has been taking daily dosages over the last two weeks.

Watch: Trump attacks another female reporter for question about Americans going back to work: ‘That’s enough of you’​

 

Trump says US having the highest number of coronavirus cases is a ‘badge of honour’

Donald Trump repeated his claim that the only reason the US has the world’s highest number of coronavirus cases is because of the frequency of testing, which he previously said was a “common sense” reasoning ignored by the press. His misleading claim ignores the relatively low rate of per capita testing.

He said the high number of cases identified in the US isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

“I view it as a badge of honour,” he said.

Just days ago he said testing was “overrated.”

Trump claims ‘thousands and thousands’ of frontline health workers use hydroxychloroquine

Donald Trump claims that “if anyone else” other than him had promoted using hydroxychloroquine as an unproven preventative medicine against coronavirus “they would say this is the greatest thing ever.”

He claimed that “thousands and thousands” of health workers are using it for the same reason, despite the FDA warning Americans that it shouldn’t be taken outside of a clinical trial and only under supervision for treating severe Covid-19 patients.
 

Donald Trump has attacked another female reporter who asked the president on Tuesday about a national reopening plan surrounding the coronavirus pandemic, calling her a “rude person” and adding: “That’s enough of you.”

Story to come…

John Bennett writes: Donald Trump, eager to juice the staggering US economy to boost his re-election bid, signed an executive order on Tuesday he said is designed to help businesses recover from the Covid-19 outbreak.

The president told his Cabinet members during a White House meeting the order “gives you tremendous power to cut regulation.”

Trump to sign anti-regulations executive order 

The president announced he will sign an executive order that will “waive, suspend and eliminate regulations impeding economy recovery”

He adds: “And we want to leave it that way.” 

“In the three and a half years we’ve been here, we have cut more regulations by a factor of a lot.”

John Bennett writes: Donald Trump refused to directly respond to Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s criticism over his decision to take an unproven malaria drug to prevent coronavirus because he is “morbidly obese,” but minutes later he accused her of having “mental problems.”

“I don’t respond to her,” the president told reporters on Capitol Hill. “She’s a waste of time.”

Trump campaign manager touts defence from anti-vaccination group

The president’s re-election campaign manager is quoting a tweet from an anti-vaxx group that supports Trump’s decision to take an anti-malaria drug to fend off the novel coronavirus:

Griffin Connolly writes: Donald Trump suggested on Monday that he would rather have Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on the phone negotiating with world leaders than worrying about household chores, something a government staffer could do for him if his wife and kids are around to chip in.

Using government employees for personal errands is illegal.

The president made the comment in response to a question from a reporter about Mr Pompeo encouraging the president to fire the State Department inspector general, who was investigating Mr Pompeo for using government staff for personal chores and other matters.

“Now I have you telling me about dog walking, washing dishes, and, you know what, I’d rather have him on the phone with some world leader than have him wash dishes because maybe his wife isn’t there or his kids aren’t there, you know?” Mr Trump said.

Perhaps Mr Pompeo was “busy” when his dog needed walking, Mr Trump speculated.

Matt Mathers writes: Social media reports suggesting that high levels of vitamin D can protect against Covid-19 have been dismissed by scientists as “very misleading”.

A number of unsubstantiated reports claiming that “mega doses” of vitamin D can stave off the virus have appeared online during the pandemic.

Vitamin D is created by the body in response to direct sunlight on the skin, and it is thought that people may not be producing enough of it because of isolation measures during lockdown.

In response, health officials last month advised people to take more vitamin D to ensure healthy bones and muscles.

And while a sufficient level of vitamin D is good for keeping bones, teeth and muscles healthy, it does not act as a protective measure against Covid-19, scientists have warned.

ICYMI: President Donald Trump targeted Senator Susan Collins (R—ME) in a series of tweets after she criticised him for firing another independent agency watchdog without providing Congress the justification she said was “required by law”.

The president attacked news outlets and the “Radical Left Democrats” during the weekend while claiming that whistleblowers such as Rick Bright, a former top vaccine official, were “causing great injustice and harm” to the country.

He also singled out Ms Collins, writing on Sunday: “This whole Whistleblower racket needs to be looked at very closely, it is causing great injustice & harm. I hope you are listening @SenSusanCollins.”

His comments came after the senator posted several tweets of her own the prior day about the firing of State Department Inspector General Steve Linick. A co-author of The Inspector General Reform Act, Ms Collins noted the legislation “requires the President to notify Congress 30 days prior to the removal of an Inspector General” along with supporting information for the dismissal.

Donald Trump is set to break the presidential tradition of hosting his predecessor at the White House for an official portrait ceremony, according to a new report — because it would require him inviting Barack Obama. 

Mr Trump will not host the former president for an unveiling of his and Michelle Obama’s official White House portraits, despite the event being considered a tradition in modern American politics, NBC News reported on Tuesday. 

Mr Obama hosted his predecessor, George W Bush, during an unveiling ceremony in 2012, in which he said: “We may have our differences politically, but the presidency transcends those differences.” 

However, mounting tensions between Mr Trump and Mr Obama have reportedly caused the event to be cancelled, with no plans to host the former president and first lady for the ceremony for as long as the president remains in office. 

Story to come…

‘The far right depends on peddling snake oil. That’s why Trump taking hydroxychloroquine is no surprise’

For Indy Voices, Noah Berlatsky says the president’s quackery is just part of a long and ignoble traditional of profiteering at the expense of the gullible.