Trump Grants Florida Pandemic Resources While Blue States Die (Video)

Why is Florida apparently the only state to be receiving the lion’s share of equipment necessary to combat the coronavirus?

Might it have something to do with the fact that Gov. Ron DeSantis is a Republican?

Could it be because Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort is in his state?

Donald Trump may not know it; it might be completely unconscious.

But he wants Democrats to die.

Consider New York, California, Washington, and Louisiana have some of the highest confirmed coronavirus cases in the nation.

Consider they are also states with Democratic governors and have all been targets of Donald Trump’s ridicule.

New York, California, and Washington are also commonly cited as the nation’s most electorally “blue bastions.”

As of this writing, Florida has 5,489 cases.

Louisiana, by contrast, has 4,025.

Washington, 4,896.

California, 6,909.

But New York?

67,131.

Over 40 percent of coronavirus-related deaths have occurred in New York and New Jersey.

Some might cite that Florida has more cases than some other states, yet how does that account for New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo–dealing with what could be 100,000 cases by the weekend–literally begging the federal government for 20,000 stock-piled ventilators?

Fla. Gov. DeSantis, on the other hand, has received 100 percent of everything he asked for three days after his formal request on March 11.

He got a second shipment March 23, and is expecting another.

Trump claimed Florida “has been taken care of…They’re very aggressive in trying to get things and they’re doing a very good job.”

Yet Gov. DeSantis kept his state’s beaches open during spring break, further contributing to contagion and overburdening the nation’s healthcare facilities.

Those college students who refused to give up their bacchanalia have now returned home.

Some have tested positive for coronavirus (and possibly other things) and are shedding viruses.

DeSantis’ refusal to follow Gov. Cuomo and other governors’ leads in issuing statewide stay-at-home orders has led to one of the epidemiologists responsible for the national social distancing extension to advise Florida to shut down.

Last week Trump told Fox News’ Sean Hannity Gov. Cuomo was essentially lying in his plea for tens of thousands of ventilators.

He said:

“I have a feeling that a lot of the numbers that are being said in some areas are just bigger than they’re going to be. I don’t believe you need 40,000 or 30,000 ventilators. You go into major hospitals sometimes, and they’ll have two ventilators. And now, all of a sudden, they’re saying, ‘Can we order 30,000 ventilators?’”

Although the Trump administration announced it would release 4,000 more ventilators from the federal stockpile, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) had delivered only 400 by last Thursday.

Gov. Cuomo exclaimed:

“What am I going to do with 400 ventilators when I need 30,000? You pick the 26,000 people who are going to die because you only sent 400 ventilators.”

To date, 10,000 ventilators remain in the stockpile, and Trump claims “we are holding it back for flexibility.”

As Trump blamed the Obama administration, cases of COVID-19 were mounting.

Even while aware the pandemic was going to get worse after its first American case on Jan. 19, Trump sent 17.8 tons of personal protective equipment (PPE) to China.

Now states are scrambling for that equipment and left to compete against each other for it.

Except Florida, apparently.

On Monday, Trump boasted limiting pandemic deaths to between 100,000 to 200,000 would indicate his administration and the country did “a very good job.”

58,220 American soldiers died in the Vietnam War.

2,996 people were killed in the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks.

Trump thinks 100,000 deaths–mostly in Democratic states–is a “very good job.”

COVID-19 is spreading across the country, and it will inundate Republican-led states shortly.

Does Trump hope enough Democrats die so he can coast to victory in November?

One thing we can guarantee is his blaming Democrats for the pandemic.

Image credit: en.wikipedia.org

Ted Millar is writer and teacher. His work has been featured in myriad literary journals, including Better Than Starbucks, The Broke Bohemian, Straight Forward Poetry, Caesura, Circle Show, Cactus Heart, Third Wednesday, and The Voices Project. He is also a contributor to The Left Place blog on Substack, and Medium.