Let's see. How can I screw this up?

This would have been a chance

Let me be clear from the onset. The following is not a real proposal. In fact, to some degree, some of it may have already been considered. I don’t know. I am merely looking not so much, at what the president can and cannot do, but why he is unable to do what he should do.

In the nation’s war against COVID-19, virtually the whole country is united. Healthcare workers are making tremendous sacrifices. The nation realizes this and appreciates their work and are doing whatever they can—sheltering in place and wearing masks to lessen their load, save lives, and put this pandemic behind us.

The list of suspects continue to go against the grain, bucking the advice of doctors, health and state officials. These are the fatigue-clad men showing off their guns, rebels without a cause carrying “Don’t Tread on Me” flags, loudmouths who simply don’t like the government or anyone else telling them what to do, and of course, Trump supporters who don’t believe in science, don’t trust the press and think there is a deep-state in Washington going after the president.

Sadly, there is also the president, himself, taking every opportunity to fight with his own medical advisors, state governors, Congressional leaders, the press, and anyone else bold enough to stand up to him.

He has been in a state of denial about the disease and its spread from the beginning, slow to act when denial was no longer an option, and a spreader of bad, misleading and often dangerous information. To his shame, he has made the simple act of wearing a mask an issue for debate.

The president’s quandary exists in his own mind. He thinks everything that is good for the country—masks, social distancing, and science—must be bad for him. His insecurity forces him to question any idea that doesn’t originate from his own mind. 

What he does believe, unfortunately, is that anything that does pop up in his mind is good for him politically—huge rallies, opening up businesses with as little restrictions as possible, and not listening to medical advice—and can’t be that bad for the country. If he wins, we all win.

The result of all this bad leadership has been the spread of the disease and increased deaths and suffering. He has also seen his poll numbers—the only thing he really cares about—go down. His declining poll numbers result in even more bizarre and destructive behavior.

It didn’t have to be like this. He could have done something early-on that would have helped both the nation and his political standing. I’m not talking about more testing and more equipment. These were never in the realm of something he could or would do because he never saw these as his responsibility.

There was, however, something he could have done that one could have expected a selfish, self-absorbed politician like himself to do.

I’m talking about MAGA masks.

He could have stepped up to a podium in February to address Americans wearing a MAGA mask—not meekly, but proudly. Not self-consciously, but pro-actively. If he had told Americans then that wearing a mask, along with social distancing was the greatest weapon we had, not only to defeat this disease, but to restore America to greatness, he would have been behaving like the strong war-time president he thinks he is. If he had told his supporters that MAGA masks, or any other mask, was not a sign of weakness, but rather a sign of moral fortitude against an enemy we might not be able to see, but we clearly need to defeat.

Would his supporters buy this? I don’t know. I do know they have bought every single other thing he has thrown their way. I think they would proudly wear masks if they saw him wearing one.

Those who don’t support the president might’ve worn mask with opposing logos. We are already a divided nation. Why not put some of that division to good use?

No one knows if everyone wearing masks in February would have reduced the number of deaths. I think I can say with certainty that deaths wouldn’t have increased if everyone was taking added precautions. I do think we would have been in better shape today if he had promoted masks instead of speculating (I’m giving him the benefit of the doubt that he doesn’t deserve) about injecting bleach or putting lights inside our bodies.

If the number of deaths were down because of something the president said or did instead of up because of things he didn’t say or do, I think that would have been good for his poll numbers.

This isn’t about Trump’s poll numbers or elect-ability. Four years of Trump as president is enough for me. I’m not interested in promoting MAGA either. I think it falls in the category of false and misleading advertising.

I am simply pointing out that this is one more example where given the opportunity to do the right thing and benefit from it, or do the wrong thing and not only do damage to himself, but do damage to the nation, our president will always choose Door Number Two.

He can’t help himself. He’ll destroy the nation. He’ll destroy you. He’ll continue to destroy himself and his presidency.

He’s not the fighter he says he is, as much as he’s a destroyer. He’s taken a complicated immigration problem and destroyed the whole process. He’s tried to destroy Obamacare putting millions of Americans at risk. He’s destroyed our relations with allies. His waffling and indecision at the beginning of the pandemic has destroyed the economy more than it had to be. He is doing everything he can to destroy Constitutional government. He has destroyed departments within the government, including the Justice Department and State. He breaks things faster than a child breaks toys on Christmas morning. It’s what he does.

Destroyers certainly don’t make things. A destroyer like Trump will not make America great again. He couldn’t even pretend to do so by wearing something like a MAGA mask.

Postscript: A check on Google shows there are actually MAGA masks, although they seem to be getting mostly two-star reviews. No way of knowing what him wearing one would have meant for the nation.