If you thought for a moment that Donald Trump’s motives throughout this global pandemic and complete disaster in the United States weren’t purely corrupt from the start, then I’ve got some gorgeous oceanfront property that would suit you just right, smack dab in the middle of Arizona.
Frankly, this newest revelation here is all the proof you should ever need.
Trump has been itching to get the United States economy opened back up ever since he closed the damn thing — and not because he’s worried about folks being able to pay their rent.
The economy was Donald’s one and only meal ticket to have even so much as a shot at reelection come November, and this pandemic has all but flushed that straight down his gold-plated toilet.
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And he’s trying everything he can to get it back — evidently, including pandering to some of his biggest supporters, the health of the American people be damned.
On the heels of a phone call that involved the head of the company owning both the Equinox and SoulCycle luxury fitness brands (who’s also conveniently a massive Trump supporter), Stephen Ross, Donald has unveiled a plan to get the nation’s gyms back up and running ASAP, despite the negative effect it will almost assuredly have on the virus’ spread, according to a new report from the Daily Beast.
Public health experts weren’t nearly as impressed with the move as I’m sure Ross was.
Director of the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University, Laurence Gostin, said, “Gyms are like a petri dish. People are close to one another, they’re sweating, they’re coughing and sneezing, they’re touching multiple surfaces, they’re sharing equipment, they’re indoors. Literally all of the heightened risk factors for COVID transmission are all entwined together in a gym.”
Included in the White House’s guidelines to reopen the gyms are “strict physical distancing and sanitation protocols” meant to prevent the spread of COVID-19. But Gostin doesn’t seem to be buying it.
“It’s very hard to socially distance. Machines are right next to each other. It’s also very hard to disinfect. You’d have to do it continuously, not just every hour,” he stated. “There was certainly no attempt to put in any scientific evidence as to why they’re safe or how they could possibly be made safe.”
It’s no secret that Ross’ businesses and others like his have been hit particularly hard by this pandemic, though the White House has refused to comment as to whether the “Phase 1” guidelines were impacted in any way by the call with the company head and personal Trump friend.
Consider that Trump had this to say about Ross in the wake of the company head facing backlash for holding a MAGA fundraiser:
“He’s a great friend of mine; he’s a very successful guy. We were competitors but friends in real estate in New York in the old days. He’s probably more inclined to be a liberal if you want to know the truth, but he likes me, he respects me.”
I’m willing to bet we can guess what the answer to that is, regardless of what the White House will or won’t say.
Featured image via screen capture
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