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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsA president ignored: Trump's outlandish claims increasingly met with a collective shrug
Shortly after a deadly explosion in Beirut this week, President Trump offered a theory backed by no apparent evidence that the devastating incident was a terrible attack, claiming some of our great generals thought it was likely the result of a bomb of some kind.
Such a bold proclamation from a U.S. president would usually set off worldwide alarms. Yet aside from some initial concern among Lebanese officials, Trumps assertions were largely met with a collective global shrug.
More than 3½ years into his presidency, Trump increasingly finds himself minimized and ignored as many of his more outlandish or false statements are briefly considered and then, just as quickly, dismissed. The slide into partial irrelevance could make it even more difficult for Trump as he seeks reelection as the nations leader amid a pandemic and economic collapse.
In battling the coronavirus crisis, which has left more than 158,000 Americans dead, many of the nations governors have disregarded the presidents nebulous recommendations, instead opting for what they believe is best for their residents. So have the nations schools, with many of the countrys largest districts preparing for distance learning when they reopen this fall, despite Trumps repeated calls for kids to return to classrooms in person. And the presidents own top public health officials are routinely contradicting him in public offering grim, fact-based assessments of the raging virus in contrast to his own frequently rosy proclamations.
Congressional Republicans, meanwhile, never seriously entertained Trumps desire for a payroll tax cut in the latest coronavirus stimulus bill, and the president has been more of a spectator than a key player in negotiations. Even former vice president Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, often seems to ignore the president he is running against, focusing his messaging elsewhere.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-ignored/2020/08/08/01aacfa6-d76f-11ea-9c3b-dfc394c03988_story.html