this might go some way to explaining the fact that the united states has the highest number (per 100,000 people) of covid cases and deaths in the world.
to date, over 180,000 americans have died in the pandemic, a number that scientists and epidemiologists tell us was avoidable had people followed the simple hygienic rules by now burned into our brains: keep your distance, wash your hands and wear a mask — simple rules that u.s. president donald trump was reluctant to mandate.
worse, trump seems to treat unnecessary deaths with a shrugging normalcy. asked a couple of weeks ago about the staggering death rate in his country, he responded, “it is what it is.”
one might assume that members of his own party would be horrified at such a reply. not so much. a recent cbs poll found 57 per cent of republicans felt that a death toll of 176,000 americans (at the time) was “acceptable.” the same survey found that 73 per cent of republicans believe trump is handling the coronavirus pandemic well.
thankfully, saner heads prevail when the same question is asked across the united states, where 62 per cent of voters believe the response is “going badly.” incredibly, however, that means close to 40 per cent of americans (almost 150 million people) are just fine with trump’s handling of the pandemic.