Thanks but no
Merkel says no, she’s not going to Trump’s party.
“The federal chancellor thanks President Trump for his invitation to the G7 summit at the end of June in Washington. As of today, considering the overall pandemic situation, she cannot agree to her personal participation, to a journey to Washington,” German government spokesman Steffen Seibert told POLITICO Friday.
…
Merkel’s refusal to attend the summit in person risks scuppering Trump’s attempts to present the gathering as a landmark moment drawing a line under the lockdowns and travel bans imposed to fight the coronavirus pandemic.
You know what else risks scuppering that? The coronavirus pandemic. It hasn’t gone anywhere, so drawing a line under the lockdowns and travel bans would be incredibly stupid.
Trump canceled the summit in March due to the crisis and said he would host a videconference instead. But in a tweet on May 20, he said he might reschedule the summit, proclaiming, “It would be a great sign to all — normalization!”
But, again, the pandemic hasn’t gone anywhere, so normalization isn’t possible. He can say the word all he likes, but it doesn’t change the reality.
“The president thinks no greater example of reopening in this transition to greatness would be the G7, and G7 happening here,” White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany told reporters Tuesday. “We will protect world leaders who come here, just like we protect people in the White House,” McEnany added. “So we want to see it happen. We think it will happen. And, so far, foreign leaders are very much on board with the idea.”
Except they don’t protect people in the White House.
But Merkel, who is a research scientist by professional training, has said that she believes June is still too soon to hold large gatherings given that the virus is still circulating, and experts are urging continued vigilance and social distancing, even as economies begin to open up again.
Officials aware of the transatlantic discussions said Trump was furious over Merkel’s reluctance to attend the summit and on Thursday he phoned French President Emmanuel Macron in a pique.
He doesn’t do pique. He does full-on rage tantrum, not pique.
Also, Trump will be there. Ew.
We’re very much not out of the woods yet. In the Canadian province of New Brunswick, a doctor who failed to self isolate after traveling to the neighbouring province of Quebec has interrupted NB’s plan for the next stage of reopening. Now testing positive, he came into contact with at least 150 other people including other healthcare workers, some of whom have now contracted the virus. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/covid-19-campbellton-doctor-suspended-icu-1.5589855
In Quebec, there are new cases arising from re-opened schools: https://montrealgazette.com/news/at-least-41-positive-tests-for-covid-19-since-quebec-schools-opened Scattered and under control, apparently, but still worrying.
So yeah, I can see that Merkle and other leaders might be a little reluctant to risk death by being props in Trump’s play to help Orange Julius try to convince American voters that the pest house is now perfectly safe and open for business.
Angela Merkel rolling the eyes (2017)
Dave Ricks #3
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Actually, I have it from a possibly reliable source that the air around the White House is filled with swarms of flying dummies of the infant pacifying kind; all spat from the same location. And I can half vouch for this.
Cue someone coming in and saying how we can reopen the schools because kids don’t have a problem with the virus. (Because schools are just kids sitting around by themselves without adults.)