July 27, 2020

Trump Predicts Victory Over COVID-19 and Tells States to Open Faster

Evan Vucci/AP

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Addressing the nation from the Bioprocess Innovation Center in North Carolina, President Trump on Monday painted an optimistic picture of the United States’ recovery from the coronavirus pandemic—while dismissing one of the only proven ways to mitigate the spread of the virus in the first place.

“I really do believe a lot of the governors should be opening up states that they’re not opening,” he said in response to a question about whether the US economy would see a V-shaped recovery. Despite a recent surge in cases in Texas, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, whom Trump praised on Monday, has refused to shut down the state’s economy.

Trump also announced that the biotechnology company Moderna had entered phase 3 of vaccine development, meaning that the company’s COVID-19 vaccine is now being used in clinical trials. “We will achieve a victory over the virus by unleashing America’s scientific genius,” he said, flanked by screens bearing the words “Operation Warp Speed.”

If only there were another way.

Video

Related: Trump’s First 100 Days of Deadly Coronavirus Denial

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WE CAME UP SHORT.

We just wrapped up a shorter-than-normal, urgent-as-ever fundraising drive and we came up about $45,000 short of our $300,000 goal.

That means we're going to have upwards of $350,000, maybe more, to raise in online donations between now and June 30, when our fiscal year ends and we have to get to break-even. And even though there's zero cushion to miss the mark, we won't be all that in your face about our fundraising again until June.

So we urgently need this specific ask, what you're reading right now, to start bringing in more donations than it ever has. The reality, for these next few months and next few years, is that we have to start finding ways to grow our online supporter base in a big way—and we're optimistic we can keep making real headway by being real with you about this.

Because the bottom line: Corporations and powerful people with deep pockets will never sustain the type of journalism Mother Jones exists to do. The only investors who won’t let independent, investigative journalism down are the people who actually care about its future—you.

And we hope you might consider pitching in before moving on to whatever it is you're about to do next. We really need to see if we'll be able to raise more with this real estate on a daily basis than we have been, so we're hoping to see a promising start.

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