President Donald Trump is no stranger to the rejection of science. However, in the midst of a pandemic, science should be at the front of everyone’s mind. The leader of the U.S., a country with millions of COVID-19 cases and hundreds of thousands of COVID-related deaths, should be paying careful attention to the advice of scientists.
During a rally in Nevada on Oct. 18, which was not socially-distanced﹣much like the superspreader event at the Rose Garden﹣Trump mocked Democratic nominee Joe Biden repeatedly regarding his consideration of scientific facts. In a jeering tone, he stated that Biden would, “listen to the scientists” if elected.
Listening to scientific expertise is not something that should ever be laughed at or made fun of, especially in the midst of a relentless pandemic.
The president also made the baseless claim that if elected, Biden would “delay” a vaccine for COVID-19. Perhaps this was said in response to Biden’s running mate Kamala Harris’ comment that she would not trust a vaccine based solely on Trump’s uneducated decision.
This claim is hypocritical coming from a person who repeatedly ignored the advice of scientists, took months to publicly wear a mask and contracted COVID-19 himself. Trump also said that listening to this would lead to a “massive depression.” Yet the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the unemployment rate reached nearly 15% in May 2020.
If Trump listened to scientists, maybe this mass job loss wouldn’t have happened. It’s outrageous to make such a claim against Biden when this devastating unemployment rate happened under Trump’s watch.
During this same rally, Trump likened the U.S. to a “rocket ship.” He did not, however, make clear what he was talking about. Adding to this confusing statement, he said, “Take a look at the numbers,” without specification. These vague, unrealistic statements only prove he is not educated on the realities and facts of the pandemic and has no concrete plan moving forward. The leader of this nation should be able to make informed decisions based on the advice and research of experts.
Trump’s disillusion with science is nothing new. In November of 2019, Trump stated that the U.S. would formally remove itself from the Paris Climate Accord, an initiative that seeks to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and limit Earth’s temperature increases.
Yet, on Sep. 20, the day after the first presidential debate, Trump stated that he believed humans are at least slightly at fault for climate change.
Why would someone back out of a global initiative to preserve the health of the planet that we all inhabit?
Biden, on the other hand, has vowed to rejoin the Paris Climate Accord if elected president. Furthermore, he plans to have 100% emission-free clean energy by 2050. Whether or not this is realistic is questionable, as Biden would not be president in 2050.
But the sentiment is there: one candidate cares about scientific research and advancement, the other finds it to be a joking matter. Trump’s tone against Biden during his rally in Nevada on Oct. 18 is clear evidence of this.
Trump’s outlook on science frankly makes little sense, but one thing is for certain– he has not put much thought into science. Maybe if he did, 220,000 Americans wouldn’t be dead from COVID-19.
Follow Ashley on Twitter @ashleyness2000.
