In response to Eric Trump’s appearances in Ohio today, Ohio Democratic Party Chair David Pepper released the following statement:
“Ohioans need competent leadership, not more Trump campaign photo ops. Even as Ohio surpasses 200,000 cases and hospitalizations reach an all-time high, the White House has admitted that they’ve given up on controlling the pandemic. We deserve better than a president who’d rather surrender than do his job.
“Eric Trump can’t spin the truth: we can’t afford four more years of Donald Trump’s incompetence. That’s why Ohioans across the state are making a plan to vote and casting their ballots for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.”
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 226,000 Americans dead and more than 8.8 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 200,000 people have contracted the virus, and more than 5,200 have lost their lives.
- Reality: WEWS: Governor says, ‘Every Ohioan needs to be alarmed by what we are seeing,’ as COVID-19 spike continues. “‘Sadly, the red tide of the virus continues to spread throughout Ohio into every, every corner of this state. There’s no escaping it,’ Gov. Mike DeWine said during his Tuesday press conference, noting that 82 of the state’s 88 counties are now experiencing high spread.”
Promise: “We have to protect our most vulnerable citizens against this horrible virus.” [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: WHIO: DeWine: COVID-19 hospitalizations currently at ‘all-time high’ in Ohio. “Ohio is currently experiencing the sharpest spike in hospitalizations caused by COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic, Gov. Mike DeWine said during the state’s coronavirus briefing Tuesday.”
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?”