12 votes

US President Trump flouts coronavirus protocols as security experts warn of need to protect the President from a lethal threat

9 comments

  1. [10]
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    1. [8]
      Omnicrola
      Link Parent
      It wouldn't really, in the context of losing that individual person. It would be chaotic and disturbing in the way losing any authority figure would be, but there would be no loss of skill or...

      It wouldn't really, in the context of losing that individual person. It would be chaotic and disturbing in the way losing any authority figure would be, but there would be no loss of skill or actual leadership.

      I really don't want him to die in office. His conspiracy loving fan base would use his death as a martyr-fueled rallying cry for all manner of purposes, to say nothing of the external state actors who would capitalize on those sentiments to drive the polarization in the US even higher.

      The thing I wish the most for him is one of the worst things that can happen to a narcissist: to be made irrelevant, and then forgotten and ignored. But he's an integral part of history now, and news companies will quote and interview him for years after his presidency ends the same as they do every president. So he's going to be in the news for a long time unfortunately.

      8 votes
      1. [3]
        Comment deleted by author
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        1. [2]
          Omnicrola
          Link Parent
          That would be the silver lining. I'm now trying to imagine the most hilarious yet somewhat realistic death scenario. How about he's at rally, and is shit on by a passing bird. He reflexively jerks...

          If he dies ironically so be it. At least we get some humour out of it.

          That would be the silver lining. I'm now trying to imagine the most hilarious yet somewhat realistic death scenario. How about he's at rally, and is shit on by a passing bird. He reflexively jerks backward from being hit with shit in the face, and slips on a cheeseburger wrapper that blew on stage earlier. He plummets head first off the stage, and is immediately grabbed by security and escorted to the presidential limo. A moment later a truck that was cleaning out the portajohns tips over into the limo, pouring sewage into the sunroof, and the president drowns in shit.

          .... That got a lot more scatalogical that I first imagined. Oh well.

          I don't even believe he will be accurately portrayed in the history books come 50 years from now.

          I don't disagree, I can definitely see this happening. However I do wonder how pervasive it will be. There will always be fringe elements in society. Most of the world agrees Hitler was a bad guy, but there are still people who disagree, and they are fairly universally shunned. Of course Hitler didn't have Fox News.

          3 votes
          1. Kuromantis
            Link Parent
            Given it took 40 million civilians dead by war, 6 million Jews sent to death camps and nearly the entirety of Europe to go through hell (and even then people were still unwilling to help given the...

            Most of the world agrees Hitler was a bad guy, but there are still people who disagree, and they are fairly universally shunned. Of course Hitler didn't have Fox News.

            Given it took 40 million civilians dead by war, 6 million Jews sent to death camps and nearly the entirety of Europe to go through hell (and even then people were still unwilling to help given the great depression and this guy was around to fuck shit up) and these polls imply that in Germany even in hindsight people were less than quick to reconsider then I'd be hard-pressed to believe people will reconsider Trump.

            1 vote
      2. [5]
        Algernon_Asimov
        Link Parent
        How about if he gets really sick, like Boris Johnson did? ;) All joking aside, I actually think that's likely, and getting more likely every day. The number of White House staff who are testing...

        I really don't want him to die in office.

        How about if he gets really sick, like Boris Johnson did? ;)

        All joking aside, I actually think that's likely, and getting more likely every day. The number of White House staff who are testing positive for the coronavirus is increasing. Most people in the White House don't seem to be taking precautions. I think it's only a matter of time until Trump catches it.

        He's unlikely to die. The President of the United States of America will have the very best medical treatment that money can buy. But he could get very sick, given his age.

        I wonder what his reaction will be after that. They say that being near to death changes people. I hope that he learns something from the experience. Maybe he'll learn to trust experts. Maybe he'll learn humility.

        Maybe that's the outcome we need to hope for: that Donald Trump gets COVID-19, goes into intensive care, has a near-death experience, and comes out a changed man.

        It probably won't happen that way, but we can dream.

        2 votes
        1. [2]
          Omnicrola
          Link Parent
          For a lot of people, it might. For him, I doubt it. I think it would make him more afraid. Which with his personality, would manifest in some semi unpredictable but entirely self serving manner. I...

          They say that being near to death changes people. I hope that he learns something from the experience.

          For a lot of people, it might. For him, I doubt it. I think it would make him more afraid. Which with his personality, would manifest in some semi unpredictable but entirely self serving manner. I absolutely think it wouldn't suddenly make him care about other people. I do think it might make him take his own health more seriously. But because he lacks any sense of responsibility, it would manifest as a series of strict rules for everyone else around him. He would still never issue any kind of national restrictions, but he would make sure his personal bubble is a fortress of hygiene.

          Also I think he would amp up the rehtoric that covid is a conspiracy by the Chinese+Democrats+deep state to undermine him by 10x.

          2 votes
          1. Algernon_Asimov
            Link Parent
            If he starts making strict rules for people around him, that might spread outward. If people see the President making rules about social distancing, some of them might take the shelter-at-home...

            If he starts making strict rules for people around him, that might spread outward. If people see the President making rules about social distancing, some of them might take the shelter-at-home orders more seriously.

            But it would kill off the conspiracy theory that there is no coronavirus at all.

            1 vote
        2. [2]
          Kuromantis
          (edited )
          Link Parent
          I wonder what would his base think of that? I know Fox could just decide decency is ok and his base could follow but after 4 years of anti-intelectualism and conspiracy memery hearing him suddenly...

          Maybe that's the outcome we need to hope for: that Donald Trump gets COVID-19, goes into intensive care, has a near-death experience, and comes out a changed man.

          I wonder what would his base think of that? I know Fox could just decide decency is ok and his base could follow but after 4 years of anti-intelectualism and conspiracy memery hearing him suddenly tell people to trust some experts or saying 'we have no idea of what the future holds here either' would probably crash the illusion of Trump for a lot of people.

          1 vote
          1. Algernon_Asimov
            Link Parent
            Yes. :) It might even cause some people who would have voted for him to stay home on election day. What an interesting idea...

            would probably crash the illusion of Trump for a lot of people.

            Yes. :)

            It might even cause some people who would have voted for him to stay home on election day. What an interesting idea...

            1 vote
    2. Kuromantis
      Link Parent
      For all it's worth if the GOP used this as an excuse to tamper with democracy things would get really bad. But then again it's not like they weren't gonna/haven't been doing that anyway...

      For all it's worth if the GOP used this as an excuse to tamper with democracy things would get really bad.

      But then again it's not like they weren't gonna/haven't been doing that anyway...