Make America infected again
I’m wrong that Trump can’t fire Fauci. Jonathan Chait says he can.
Here the preening smirking goat is saying he will.
It has been obvious for weeks that President Trump plans to fire Dr. Fauci. Trump has stripped Fauci and other public-health officials of all influence in decisions on how to handle the pandemic — or to be precise, not to handle it — and handed it over to unqualified right-wing crank Scott Atlas. Trump and his minions have repeatedly mocked Fauci for saying true things about COVID-19 (masks work, we have not turned the corner, a vaccine is not going to make it disappear quickly) that violate his political line.
Of course, presidents have the right to fire executive branch officials. (Fauci is a civil servant, which means Trump would need to order Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar to fire him.)
Ah. There I was thinking civil servants were protected. Stupid of me.
He might come to regret it though – Fauci would probably be on CNN and MSNBC every night.
But let’s be more optimistic. Let’s hope he loses resoundingly and his head explodes before he has time to get rid of Fauci.
I think it’s fair to say that he will probably do all of those thing and yet still find time to get rid of Fauci (and do as much further damage to everything he can touch). Whatever the results he’s gonna want vengeance and he’s got almost three months to get it.
I seem to recall Trump recently signed (or is supposedly about to sign) and Executive Order that strips many existing senior civil servants, such as Fauci, of protections by reclassifying them as Executive Appointments on the basis they provide policy advice. Of all the hideous things Trump has done to the US over the last four years, that has the potential to be the most chilling, destructive and long lasting. It essentially destroys the notion of a professional and apolitical civil service.
If Biden wins and Trump fires Fauci, I hope Biden includes him in the transition team.
Also, shouldn’t the title be “Make America Germy Again”?
The thing is, I suspect Trump will seize any opportunity to do the “you’re fired” thing. It is his trademark, he feels like master to inferior when he shouts it, and as president, he seems to believe everyone works for him, including NFL players, state governors, journalists, and, well, everyone.
I imagine at least one news organization has set “you’re fired” to type pending election results.