I just sat through another Team-Trump WH press conference and heard lie-a-minute-Donald, who many believe is a pathological liar, carry-on for more minutes than I could stand about the marvelous job he has done since January in curtailing the Coronavirus from entering the US.  Of course he said he could have done an even better job if his hands weren’t tied by the unnecessary, restrictive regulations put in place by his predecessor, Barack Obama.  In a single press conference Trump lies so many times, on so many different topics that we can only cover one or two areas in a short article like this.

As far as the WH Press Corp is concerned, they must not just sit, listen and not strongly question the blatant lies that are being repeated over and over at every WH press conference.  This is even more true and dangerous now, for all of us, during an international pandemic crisis. Much of the press even refuses to call a blatant lie a lie, much less spontaneously correct the lies by strong truthful rebukes and reporting.  In their written or cable news reports the news media often substitutes for the word “lies,” softer words like untrue, mistaken, disinformation, evasion, fabrication, falsehood, fiction, inaccurate, misstatement and misrepresentation.   This turns all of Trump’s public appearances, rallies, press conferences and walks to the helicopter from real news events into an unending, huge number of free campaign and propaganda events that might just help him be re-elected in November.

The reporters’ ethical responsibility is to question, in real time, the lies when they are actually being uttered.  This is when the incalculable damage is being done to the truth and facts that are necessary for survival during an existential crisis.  If they can’t do that for fear of Trump’s vindictive responses, but still have integrity, then they should quit their jobs as WH correspondents. They are not fulfilling the most important job of the 4^th Estate in our democracy, which places press and media alongside our three branches of government: legislative, executive and judicial...with an “explicit capacity of advocacy and an implicit ability to frame political issues.” Though it is not formally recognized as a part of a political system, the 4^th Estate needs to wield significant indirect social influence [1].

Let’s take a look at just one set of recent executive branch lies concerning Trump’s so called “spectacular handling” of the Covid-19 (the 19 stands for 2019, when the virus was first detected, not 2020) and the recent associated “travel bans” to the US [2].  These lies are repeated over and over by lie-a-minute Donald and his subordinate-sidekick from Indiana, Mike Pence, at nearly every press conference:

o   The so called January 31, 2020 “travel ban” to & from China is really just a set of restrictions.  Many people argue that because Trump disbanded the government’s entire Obama appointed pandemic response chain of command in 2018, including the White House management infrastructure, the US lost valuable time and talent in analyzing and responding to the growing concern for the Coronavirus epidemic in Wuhan, China, that was already known in December 2019 [2].

o   Also, more than 300,000 people traveled from China to the US in one month from Dec 31, 2019 to Jan 31 without any restrictions on Americans going back and forth...the seeds were already sown before the ban.

o   Even as late as early March 2020, 30 commercial flights were still landing daily in Los Angeles that either originated in Beijing or came to the US on one-stops...30 more in San Francisco, 25 more in New York City.  This at a time when Americans at home, all over the country, were beginning to practice “social distancing” and “sheltering at home.”

o   Just yesterday, the frightening images we were shown of several major US International airports servicing US residents returning home from overseas displayed multiple-thousands standing shoulder to shoulder in packed airport rooms and corridors for as long as 6 to 8 hours.  Apparently, no federally imposed schedule alterations were mandated by the Trump-Pence leadership to alleviate crowding.  Quite the opposite result of several state mandated practices of  “social distancing and shelter at home.”  Just another example of lack of vision and Trump-Pence incompetence.

o   Many believe the planning and logistics of the Trump-Pence administration in fighting the Coronavirus will end up as a major catastrophe.

o   Why didn’t the administration accept the WHO’s early offer to supply the US with functioning German designed Coronavirus test systems instead of malfunctioning US systems?

o   As little as a week ago (and maybe even more recently), Trump argued that this health scare is similar to a flu epidemic that will “miraculously” disappear in April and all will be back to normal.  His main concern has been keeping the Dow Jones at as high a level as possible...but at what cost? This is leading too many 'Trump-Followers' to not practice social distancing and preventive hygiene over at least  the last 30 days...the critical US period in prevention by flattening the Coronavirus growth curve.  By the way, we should also ask, where is the Republican party leadership as the crisis deepens?  As usual, they are nowhere to be found.

o   Trump-Pence, have easy access to the brightest analysts, statisticians and military operations research professionals in the world. Why don’t they use them?  Perhaps if you believe you are the brightest person in the world you might think you don’t need them. Trump might also believe that their focus would be in preventing the pandemic and protecting human life, not stabilizing the economy and the Dow. The Trump-Pence support of equality and human rights has not been a high priority in the administration’s policy agenda and this has been evident since January 2017.

As we continuously move from Trump-Pence inflicted crisis to crisis,  many now believe that Trump-Pence, during the last three years, have created the most incompetent and corrupt government administration in US history. Their dismantling of the US Intelligence agencies and the State Department seems criminal and dangerous. These two actions support the plans of US competitors, enemies and several autocratic dictators worldwide.  The global warming and growing, massive US debt crises are looming over all of us because of current Republican policies and the recent unethical, foolish and lawless actions of Republican executive and legislative branch leadership.  Many Americans believe these two impending crises will dwarf the Coronavirus crises in both cost and human suffering. The question is, will the 4^th Estate continue to just stand by instead of continuing in their traditional roles of invaluable honest reporting and equally important, honest political influence, in the American democratic political system?

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourth_Estate

[2] https://www.factcheck.org/2020/03/the-facts-on-trumps-travel-restrictions/