Trump 'Election Over Livelihood'... "Focus on Barrett Supreme Court Justice Appointment Amid Election Battle"

A Tumultuous Path Just One Day After Discharge... Sparks Supreme Court Justice Appointment to Rally Supporters
Suspends Stimulus Bill Negotiations and Attempts to Downplay COVID-19 Risks

[Asia Economy New York=Special Correspondent Baek Jong-min] U.S. President Donald Trump has been stumbling immediately after his discharge from the hospital. He completely reversed his stance 180 degrees just four days after ordering the passage of a stimulus bill right after being hospitalized for treatment of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19).

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

Following his remarks telling people not to fear COVID-19 and stating that it is no different from the flu, he has sparked controversy day after day. Analysts interpret this as an attempt to seize the issue and maintain political leadership as the focus of the election battle shifts to Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden after the TV debate.

On the afternoon of the 6th (local time), President Trump tweeted, "I have instructed the negotiation team to halt negotiations on the (stimulus) bill until after the election," escalating the fallout. Considering that he had emphasized reaching an agreement on the stimulus bill while hospitalized at Walter Reed Military Hospital for COVID-19 treatment, this was a completely unexpected 'surprise decision.' There had been high expectations last week that Trump's COVID-19 diagnosis would accelerate the stimulus bill agreement.

After the existing stimulus bill expired in July, the U.S. Congress, the White House, and the Treasury Department have been making efforts to reach an additional stimulus agreement, but negotiations have repeatedly broken down. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin have continued efforts through a series of phone calls until recently.

Instead, President Trump said, "I asked Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell not to delay and to focus entirely on the appointment of Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett." This indicates an intention to place more weight on this before the election. He showed his determination to rally supporters by concentrating efforts on confirming the Supreme Court nominee. In a separate tweet, Trump even claimed, "The radical left Democrats are playing games with workers who need help."

The Democratic side immediately pushed back. Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden criticized, "Trump has decided that it doesn't matter to him if you lose your job, your business closes, schools shut down, or you get laid off." Speaker Pelosi, a key negotiator, also condemned, "Trump refuses to provide real support to children, the unemployed, and hardworking families in America."

Trump's order to halt negotiations was even more shocking given that earlier, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell had emphasized the need for additional stimulus measures.

Chairman Powell warned at the National Association for Business Economics annual meeting that although the economy is showing signs of recovery, there is still a long way to go, and without additional support, the economy could plunge. He said, "At this point, the risks of excessive stimulus are much less," placing more weight on the Democratic stimulus plan. He stressed, "Insufficient support will not significantly aid economic recovery and will cause unnecessary economic hardship for American households and businesses."

President Trump retweeted an article about Chairman Powell's remarks, calling it "the truth." The Washington Post (WP) pointed out, "Trump's declaration kills the possibility of additional support for millions of Americans who have lost jobs and face eviction risks."

President Trump's claim that COVID-19 and the flu are no different also became a target of criticism. He wrote on Twitter, "Even with vaccines, more than 100,000 people die from the flu every year. We have learned to live with the flu like COVID-19, and it has been much less dangerous for most people." U.S. media rebutted this, stating that over the past decade, an average of 61,000 Americans died annually from the flu.

The Hill, a congressional news outlet, pointed out, "President Trump downplayed the risks of COVID-19 by comparing it to the flu." Twitter attached a warning label to this tweet, and Facebook blocked the post entirely.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.