In response to Mike Pence’s upcoming appearance in Cincinnati on Wednesday, Ohio Democratic Party Chair David Pepper released the following statement:
“Mike Pence can’t spin the truth. Nearly a month ago, Donald Trump promised Ohioans that he would ‘crush’ this pandemic. Instead, time and again, his incompetence has only made things worse. Now, even as we’re mourning the loss of 5,000 Ohioans and counting, Trump is continuing his lawsuit to strip away health coverage from hundreds of thousands of Ohioans right when they need it most.
“Ohioans don’t need another Trump campaign photo op. We need leaders with the temperament, experience and mettle to lead us through this crisis, defeat this pandemic and build back better. We need Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in the White House.”
BACKGROUND ON TRUMP’S BROKEN PROMISES TO OHIO
Promise: “My plan is to crush the virus.” [Donald Trump, Dayton, Sept. 21, 2020]
- Reality: With more than 219,000 Americans dead and more than 8.1 million infected, the United States has 4 percent of the world’s population but 20 percent of infections and deaths. In Ohio alone, more than 181,000 people have contracted the virus, and more than 5,000 have lost their lives.
- Reality: WOIO: Gov. DeWine ‘troubled’ by the COVID-19 cases spikes as Ohio hits highest single day spike since pandemic began. “A troubling trend in Ohio as the coronavirus spreads at a record rate, according to Ohio Governor Mike DeWine. In the last 24 hours 1,840 cases have been reported, that’s the single highest one day total since testing began in Ohio.”
Promise: “We have to protect our most vulnerable citizens against this horrible virus.” [Donald Trump, Clyde, Aug. 6, 2020]
- Reality: Cleveland.com: At least 3,133 Ohio nursing home patients have died with coronavirus. “At least 3,133 patients of Ohio nursing homes and other long-term care facilities have died with coronavirus this year, with 87 new deaths reported in the weekly update by the Ohio Department of Health.”
- Reality: WCMH: Ohio again seeing increase of hospitalizations due to coronavirus. “After weeks of trending down, the number of people being hospitalized due to COVID-19 in Ohio is increasing again, especially in those 60-years and older.”
Promise: “I promise you, in the days ahead, we’ll continue to put the health of America first.” [Mike Pence, Zanesville, Sept. 16, 2020]
- Reality: Even in the midst of a global pandemic, Trump and the Republican Party are attempting to overturn the Affordable Care Act — endangering health coverage for 741,000 Ohioans and threatening protections for as many as 5 million Ohioans with pre-existing conditions like cancer, asthma and even COVID-19. The Ohio Hospital Association has warned that repealing the ACA would put a quarter of the state’s hospitals at risk of closure.
- Reality: Politico: Trump official pressured CDC to change report on Covid and kids. “The episode is the latest example of how Trump appointees’ interference has rippled across the health department — and how even when career experts can find common ground with political officials, they have been tainted by the unprecedented efforts to shape their findings.”
Promise: “We’re attacking the virus from every angle. And through this aggressive strategy, we will win the war, and it will happen sooner than people think.” [Donald Trump, Clyde, Aug. 6, 2020]
- Reality: Trump knew how deadly the virus was from the beginning, but he kept the truth from Ohioans and repeatedly downplayed the pandemic.
- Reality: Even as experts warned of a coming pandemic, Trump sent record shipments of N95 masks overseas. As the Washington Post reported, a shortage of N95 masks still persists months into the pandemic, “leaving health care workers exposed, patients at risk and public health experts flummoxed over a seemingly simple question: Why is the world’s richest country still struggling to meet the demand for an item that once cost around $1 apiece?”
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