The Trump base has read the signals and heard the whistles: COVID-19 is harmless if not an outright hoax. As I wrote previously, Mike Pence not wearing a mask is all part of a broader effort to make the president’s supporters think that the virus is not a serious threat and convince them that it is safe to demand an end of the lockdowns. It’s working:
All the while the president can claim that he still supports restrictions because he wants to protect public health. Clever game Trump is playing.
These anti-lockdown protesters are flying Trump flags, meanwhile as recently as yesterday Trump declared his support for lockdown policies. He even rebuked the Republican Governor of Georgia for easing that state’s lockdown too early. Very peculiar pic.twitter.com/p1jk8XwVcc
— Michael Tracey (@mtracey) May 1, 2020
It’s not peculiar. It’s called knowing how to manipulate your supporters.
