President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2020 in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
According to some in the media, Mike Pence is too inept to deal with the coronavirus. And Trump — well, he’s Thanos.
WATCH: CNN's election coverage panel says the Democratic candidates are like "the Avengers" going up against "Thanos" Trump because none of them can individually beat Trump. pic.twitter.com/Yy5QInApYx
— MRCTV (@mrctv) February 12, 2020
But what have we here: A good deed and a small shot in the arm amid the battle against illness.
On the 29th, the President donated his fourth-quarter salary to the Department of Health and Human Services in order to help fight the threatening virus.
While the check was written Saturday, the announcement of POTUS’s donation came Tuesday:
President @realDonaldTrump made a commitment to donate his salary while in office. Honoring that promise and to further protect the American people, he is donating his 2019 Q4 salary to @HHSGov to support the efforts being undertaken to confront, contain, and combat #Coronavirus. pic.twitter.com/R6KUQmBRl1
— Kayleigh McEnany (@PressSec) March 3, 2020
You may recall the The Donald vowed long ago to donate his entire earnings while at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
As noted by The Daily Caller, the Commander-in-Chief has previously given parts of his intake to the Surgeon General’s office, border enforcement, and Veterans’ Affairs.
Being loaded strikes me as a good thing in politics: Trump had, of course, deep pockets as he campaigned for the 2016 Republican Primary. The less reliance on donors while campaigning, the less owed to donors while in office.
And he’s sweatin’ the small stuff, too: During the government shutdown — on January 14th of last year — he footed the bill for McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s, and Domino’s delectables when football champs the Clemson Tigers visited the White House.
"300 hamburgers, many, many French fries — all of our favorite foods”: President Trump served a fast-food buffet to the Clemson University football team during their national championship celebration at the White House https://t.co/Noh1KqcHAa pic.twitter.com/qyTERNvtNs
— New Day (@NewDay) January 15, 2019
That looks delicious.
Back to the virus, some weren’t impressed with the Leader of the Free World’s benefaction.
Said group would include — as reported by USA Today — Robert Maguire, research director for Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics:
“This is a meaningless gimmick. President Trump’s decision not to divest his businesses netted him $434 million in personal revenue in 2018 alone – the last year for which data is available. That’s a thousand times more than his presidential salary.”
Well, you can’t please everyone.
Plus, critics of the White House have much bigger things to worry about as the nation faces a severe contagion. Not only is the administration giving money to the cause, but it’s also...brace yourself…praying:
Mike Pence and his coronavirus emergency team praying for a solution. We are so screwed. pic.twitter.com/p020FBIK9J
— Thomas Chatterton Williams 🌍 🎧 (@thomaschattwill) March 1, 2020
-ALEX
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