Trump baselessly claims Joe Scarborough was concerned in a Florida homicide

President Donald Trump’s ongoing Twitter meltdown has now entered its third day — and featured not simply his normal spurious claims in regards to the authorities’s Covid-19 response, but additionally ugly, nonsensical assaults on his perceived enemies.

On the heels of a Sunday and Monday through which Trump amplified a lot of accounts which have promoted the QAnon conspiracy principle about Democrats being concerned in a pedophilia cult, posted tweets baselessly accusing former President Obama of crimes, demanded NBC fireplace Chuck Todd, and promoted a enterprise he nonetheless owns and income from, Trump managed to take issues up a notch on Tuesday morning by suggesting Morning Joe host Joe Scarborough is responsible of homicide.

“When will they open a Chilly Case on the Psycho Joe Scarborough matter in Florida. Did he get away with homicide? Some folks assume so,” Trump wrote. “Why did he go away Congress so quietly and rapidly? Isn’t it apparent? What’s taking place now? A complete nut job!”

Suffice it to say that there isn’t a proof that Scarborough, who was pleasant with Trump however lately has turn into sharply vital of him, is responsible of homicide.

The president’s tweet refers back to the unintentional 2001 loss of life of an intern who labored in Scarborough’s workplace in Fort Walton Seaside, Florida, again when he was a member of Congress. The New York Submit’s Yaron Steinbuch offered the related particulars in a chunk revealed earlier this month, on an earlier event when Trump alluded to this conspiracy principle on Twitter:

The president gave the impression to be referring to the case of Lori Klausutis, a 28-year-old intern who was discovered lifeless in Scarborough’s Fort Walton Seaside workplace in Florida when he was a congressman.

The medical expert dominated the loss of life unintentional, saying Klausutis had handed out due to an undiagnosed coronary heart situation and hit her head on a desk.

No proof has ever been discovered linking Scarborough to her loss of life.

The president casually suggesting — with out proof — {that a} cable information host is responsible of homicide is clearly wild, however Trump appears to have considerably numbed the nation to this kind of factor.

There was an entire lot extra the place that got here from on Tuesday morning.

Trump appears unable to be straight with folks in regards to the coronavirus

With US coronavirus deaths now over 80,000 and the variety of new instances per day not exhibiting a downward development, Trump falsely proclaimed on Tuesday morning that “Numbers are coming down in most components of our Nation, which needs to open and get going once more.”

That tweet got here after NBC reported on “undisclosed knowledge the White Home’s pandemic process pressure is utilizing to trace charges of an infection” exhibiting that “Coronavirus an infection charges are spiking to new highs in a number of metropolitan areas and smaller communities throughout the nation.” And regardless of what Trump would have folks imagine, polling has constantly proven {that a} majority of People oppose reopening companies till the virus is beneath management.

That wasn’t the one deceptive coronavirus-related declare Trump made on Tuesday. Though he’s principally left states to fend for themselves, Trump tried to take credit score for the sturdy approval rankings many governors have for his or her dealing with of the disaster, writing that they “may under no circumstances have gotten these numbers, or had that success, with out me and the Federal Governments assist. From Ventilators to Testing, we made it occur.”

However states have largely needed to develop testing methods on their very own, and a few have even resorted to buying check kits from international international locations as a result of they haven’t gotten sufficient assist from the federal authorities.

Trump additionally tweeted a declare that America has performed extra coronavirus testing than “all different international locations put collectively.” However even a cursory take a look at the country-by-country testing numbers reveals that this declare, which has turn into one in every of Trump’s common claims, is nowhere near being true.

Coronavirus testing was ostensibly the subject of a Trump press convention on Monday — one which ended with him huffing off the stage after an trade with Weijia Jiang of CBS through which he demanded that Jiang, who’s Asian American, “ask China” questions in regards to the coronavirus response as an alternative of asking him.

Hours later, Trump tweeted, with out proof, that “Asian People are VERY offended at what China has performed to our Nation, and the World. Chinese language People are probably the most offended of all. I don’t blame them!”

What Trump needs folks to overlook is that he used to defend China’s dealing with of the coronavirus — proper up till the purpose when discovering a scapegoat turned extra vital to him than staying on some semblance of fine phrases with the nation.

One other memorable second from Monday’s press convention got here when Trump was pressed to elucidate the “OBAMAGATE” conspiracy principle he’s been pushing, and failed spectacularly.

Trump needs folks to imagine that Obama is responsible of masterminding a scheme to leverage the investigation of Michael Flynn into a method to undermine Trump’s total presidency earlier than it started. However there’s no proof that is true, and when Philip Rucker of the Washington Submit requested Trump to elucidate what particular crime he thinks Obama dedicated, Trump had nothing.

“Uh, Obamagate. It’s been occurring for a very long time,” he started. “It’s been occurring from earlier than I even obtained elected, and it’s a shame that it occurred, and in case you take a look at what’s gone on, and in case you take a look at now, all this data that’s being launched — and from what I perceive, that’s solely the start — some horrible issues occurred, and it ought to by no means be allowed to occur in our nation once more.”

It was an embarrassing second, however Trump is outwardly undeterred. He started his Tuesday morning of tweets by proclaiming that “OBAMAGATE makes Watergate look small time!” — by no means thoughts that he can’t even clarify what “Obamagate” is.

And, lastly, no Trump Twitter meltdown could be full with out him retweeting obscure accounts from the corners of the web in an effort to painting his perceived foes within the worst doable mild.

Greater than three years into Trump’s presidency, it’s not precisely information that he’s posting dangerous tweets. However it’s value taking a step again and reflecting on how the torrent of baseless accusations, lies, and deflections that Trump posted on Tuesday morning alone would’ve been a significant nationwide scandal in any earlier period. In Trump’s America, it’s one other day that ends with a “y.”

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