After media onslaught, Trump returns with class warfare approach to COVID-19

After making a complete fool of himself, ducking the press over the weekend, and launching an egotistical Twitter storm against liberal and conservative media alike, U.S. President Donald Trump returned again on Monday to speak to the nation. This time he was fresh out of meetings with retail executives who also spoke first at the press conference giving messages of hope.

Richard Ashworth of Walgreens, Rodney McMullen of Kroger, and Doug McMillon of Walmart all began their speeches by thanking the many thousands of essential employees working around the clock to maintain supplies for the American people and preached hope to the public.

For Trump and his corporate backers, this message of hope is not a sign that the epidemiological situation is near its end but in fact a dog whistle (or bullhorn, really) to corporate America that business will be back soon.

That is the pivot that Trump has now taken, and that is a travesty for the American people, particularly those in parts of the country with low herd immunity at this stage, who will likely experience a vicious resurgence of COVID-19 if restrictions are lifted too soon, as experts warn.

This exposes yet another problem in American politics, that business should not have only a key role in government and problem solving, but a core role. But, what exactly is the problem that the likes of Ashworth, McMullen, and McMillon can solve for Trump? His image, which is almost entirely dependent on the erroneous American system his administration has propped up.

In reality, the Trump administration has botched this from the handling of this situation from the very start and they know it. That is why they have blamed every imaginable actor on the planet for this conundrum, from the WHO to China, the "FAKE NEWS" and everything in between.

His team is pivoting towards salvaging what little Trump had going for him – the economy. Under Trump, corporate profits had soared after absolute massive tax cuts and deregulation, creating an artificial boom appearance to the market while workers fell behind, yet inevitably Wall Street speculators have drained money out of the market in anticipation for the economic calamity to come.

To Trump and his wealthy brethren, the economy is Wall Street. They see the ticker symbols turn green and go up and they get excited, never mind the tens of thousands who die every year from lack of basic access to healthcare. To this end, they are prepared to sacrifice workers to the gods of Wall Street in order to prop up a fundamentally disastrous mode of production.

In fact, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has floated the idea of states filing for bankruptcy, an idea held by Republicans for over a decade, that would see states be subject to brutal austerity for "pension problems" owed primarily to inflated retiree healthcare costs.

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities has estimated that over 25 percent of state revenues have been lost due to COVID-19 and reliance on social programs is soaring. If states will be subject to what amounts to structural readjustments, safety nets could evaporate and force people, largely against their will and against medical advice, to work.

This would totally undo the fundamental idea of state's rights and the idea that states themselves ought to be the primary handlers of their affairs. If Democratic governor coalitions, like those we see forming on the East and West coast, can be brought to their knees and all their work undone by McConnell and Trump, then what free choice do states even have in crisis management?

Let's let it sink in that America has somehow entered a political landscape where states are being encouraged to file for bankruptcy while companies in the so-called free market aren't.

But it gets worse: McConnell has also made passing a bill that would provide legal protections for businesses against being sued for skirting CDC rules, disguised as a bill meant to protect healthcare professionals from frivolous lawsuits, a priority for the senate's next session. This proposal, which the senate majority leader is terming the "redline" for his negotiations, would allow companies to literally get back to "business as usual" with virtually no liability.

What magnificent solution will business provide for workers who have been hosed during this crisis if they get their record profits back on track?

Walmart, Kroger, and Walgreens who spoke beside Trump on Monday have promised one-time bonuses of up to a measly 300 U.S. dollars for hourly workers who have risked months of exposure to a deadly and highly contagious disease with no treatment. This is analogous to the measly 1,200 U.S. dollars one-time payment given to Americans, many of whom are being financially destroyed right now.

It is more than likely that Americans will go bankrupt, they will lose their jobs as many closed small businesses will never see a full return, and many others will die if Trump's vision to reopen the country and restart business goes forward. But, he and his party have shown a total willingness to bail out and back big business to the hilt.

While it is obvious that the United States, with a federal government that was created by wealthy landowners, is following a very unsurprising trajectory and completing its constitutional mandate to protect capital, the most basic function of a government is to protect the immediate well-being of people. That is the intuitive reason for having a government in the first place.

How can one consider a central government that is actively encouraging its local governments to fail anything but a failed state?