Thomas added: "In politics especially if you're at a high enough level you are one phone call away from anybody in the world."
Meanwhile, Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner who's one phone call away from anyone is running a "shadow" coronavirus task force that has been enlisting the private sector and overseeing the Strategic National Stockpile of medical supplies, all out of public view.
Oh, and let's not forget the giant coronavirus bill Trump signed into law on 27 March, which created a $500bn fund that Trump and his treasury secretary, Steve Mnuchin, will distribute to the private sector. Most of it will backstop $4.5tn of subsidized loans (i.e., bailout money) coming from the Fed, also distributed by the Treasury.
In a signing statement, Trump said he wouldn't agree to provisions in the bill for congressional oversight meaning the wheeling-and-dealing will be in secret. When the House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, said she'd form a special select committee to watch how the money is spent, Trump accused her of "conducting partisan investigations in the middle of a pandemic," adding: "Here we go again ... It's witch hunt after witch hunt."
Is there any doubt Trump will try to use this money, as well as his son-in-law's secretive dealings, to improve his odds of re-election?
Trump was impeached a mere three and a half months ago on charges of abuse of power and obstructing investigations. Eight months ago, he phoned the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, seeking dirt on Joe Biden and threatening to hold up military aid to get it.
Donald Trump calls allegations of Russian meddling in the 2016 election a "hoax." He called his impeachment a "hoax." He initially called the coronavirus a "hoax."
But the real hoax is Trump's commitment to America. In reality he will do anything anything to hold onto power. In his mind, the coronavirus crisis is just another opportunity.
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