Greg Sargent: As the virus spreads, Trump rages over the markets. That's alarming.

[Dennis Donovan]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/02/26/virus-spreads-trump-rages-over-markets-thats-alarming/

By Greg Sargent
Opinion writer

Feb. 26, 2020 at 10:31 a.m. EST

<snip>

Given what we’ve seen from Trump, this presents an occasion for him to prod officials to validate his own preferred version of what’s happening, which is far rosier than that of the officials themselves.

Some new reporting in The Post underscores this possibility. Trump has been downplaying the potential impact of coronavirus on the United States, but he’s privately raging over the situation. Note why he’s raging:

Privately, Trump has become furious about the stock market’s slide, according to two people familiar with the president’s thinking, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to share internal details.

While he has spent the past two days traveling in India, Trump has watched the stock market’s fall closely and believes extreme warnings from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have spooked investors, the aides said.

This hints at a combustible situation. We already know Trump views the markets as a kind of backup gauge of his chances of reelection.

But now, with markets tumbling, Trump has persuaded himself that warnings from his own administration’s health officials about the public threat it poses to Americans are to blame for those market travails.

</snip>

[guillaumeb]

1. Trump only sees things as they affect him, and not as they affect others.

And he is far too unintelligent to be an effective President, of a company or a country. His life history shows that. So he literally has no idea what to do, and as is his habit, he will blame anyone but himself.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

2. Courts martial for all officers in the Public Health Service!

That'll learn 'em.

[enough]

4. He'll just fire them, it's quicker. NT

[Windy City Charlie]

3. Yep

That's why he has the likes of Kudlow and Limbaugh trying to de-bunk it. They're doing all they can to try and make it seem that this is no big deal, that it's equivalent to the common cold. They're totally in damage control mode trying to make their sheep think there's nothing to worry about, that it's all made up. While the ship is sinking, they're trying to make people believe the ship is cruising along just fine. They know this could be the thing that turns Trump's re-election prospects into shambles.

[smirkymonkey]

6. +1000

Exactly! Welcome to DU Charlie!

[captain queeg]

5. It'll be funny if the coronavirus ends up like the ones from War of the Worlds

Mankind could do nothing to defeat the alien invaders, like the way nothing seems to effect Trump. The lowly virus ended up killing them off. Maybe this virus will prove to be the straw that breaks Trumps back, of course many regular people will suffer. But his inept reaction might get people’s attention.

[packman]

7. This comes to mind

[klook]

8. DJIA and S&P 500 up 1.3% so far today.

Whew! That was a close one. Okay, everybody go back to shopping and watching Dancing with the Stars.

[Ilsa]

10. The vultures are out for now. I wonder if they'll disappear

after iq45's reassuring press conference tonight?

[gratuitous]

9. Trump doesn't even know what he's raging about

He swings from no big deal to Democrats have to do something to USA in great shape to it's all a hoax designed to hurt him. There's no leadership, just panicky blame-throwing and shoutycracker non sequiturs.