What do you have to lose? -- X'għandkom x'titilfu?

What have you got to lose? -- X'għandkom x'titilfu?

After Donald Trump was elected President of the United States of America, I had decided to stop writing about him and the astonishing things he says or writes.

I have to confess up front my difficulty in offering a balanced judgement on this particular person, something I usually keep front of mind when writing this column. This is because I feel disgusted every time I hear or read about the latest idiocy he'd have decided to pronounce to the world, and unfortunately there are sometimes more than one in a day.

When I remember the barefaced lies even about trivial matters, speaking on impulse at the spur of the moment even on subjects of importance, his nepotism, the fact of using his position to the financial advantage of his commercial organisations, his attacks on his own country's institutions, global cooperation organisations and also his country's allies, the attitude of 'I'm all right and f*&^ you Jack', a shiver runs down my spine.

Lately someone has told me, with conviction akin to divine revelation, that Trump, warts and all, has been sent by God to bring Him back closer to Americans. It's not the first time I've heard this, generally from conservative Christians, of whom there are many in that country, who Trump has had considerable success in entrapping, by doing whatever was necessary to appoint two conservative judges to the American Supreme Court which is now considered to be weighted in favour of conservatives.

If I eventually conclude that Trump really is God's envoy, I can promise you I'll renounce Christianity, ignore atheism and become a follower of Satan.

The subject which has prompted me to write with this length about Trump, today before that much awaited day either this year or in four years time when the whole world would have gotten rid of a cancer as big as the Statue of Liberty, is the coronavirus situation in the USA.

The story starts with the CDC - Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, which usually is at the forefront in the global fight against the pandemic, as it was in the Ebola outbreak of a few years back, that Trump's administration has done everything in its power to reduce its funding and interrupt its work, including disrupting the work it was doing in China.1

It continues when the first infections happened in January, and by 27th February there were 15 cases. Then, Trump declared that the risk to the American people was “very low” and boasted that “whatever happens we're totally prepared”.2 Compare this puerile boasting with the latest statistic from the CDC about coronavirus cases, with 1.3 million infections and just under 81 thousand deaths by 12th May 2020, and currently 18,000 infections and 1000 deaths a day.3

Some time ago, there were reports that the US was seeking to obtain a monopoly on development of a coronavirus vaccine that was being developed in Germany by the company CureVac. This move was immediately resisted by the German administration.4 Could you imagine a vaccine be developed for this deadly disease but ends up being monopolised by a country due to having a lot of money, instead of the whole of humanity being the beneficiary?

It does give a new meaning to the slogan 'America first'.

American health officials have often encouraged citizens to take precautions, and this seems to be applicable to everybody, except Trump. In these days, the White House has ruled that everybody working there needs to wear a mask, but not Trump.5 Another day, Trump toured a factory in Arizona making masks, but he and his entourage did not don one.6

During that visit to the mask factory, the Guns and Roses song 'Live and let die' was overheard. This title seems to me to be quite an accurate description to the attitude of the President and his administration, which is now encouraging the states to start removing restrictions similar to those put in place by many countries around the world to try and stem the advance of the virus.

Dr Anthony Fauci, the leading expert on infectious diseases in his country, warned on 12th May that there would be serious consequences if the US reopened its economy too quickly.7 Nevertheless, the Trump administration first announced that the committee coordinating the response to the virus was going to disband, and the next day declared it would continue, but would concentrate on security and the reopening of the country. Trump conceded that there will be people who would be badly affected, a metaphor for dying.8

Some time ago, an American study found that American deaths from the virus have been predominantly black, a result of inequalities in American society, which leads to their greater vulnerability on many levels compared to other groups. Who knows, perhaps Trump calculated that if many black people die, these would have voted Democrat anyway, and so would be to his benefit in the presidential election come November.

Perhaps, after all, it is true that Trump will have the effect of getting God closer to Americans, but sending the latter early to face their Maker!

Before the 2016 election, Trump rhetorically asked African-Americans in his country, in an attempt to consider voting for him, “What do you have to lose”?9 When the economy is not working for you, this is quite a powerful message, as anyone drowning is likely to clutch at any straw promise that provides hope, however implausible or improbable as it may be.

Today, perhaps Americans can answer this questions.

“Our lives”!

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Ftit wara li kien elett President tal-Istati Uniti Donald Trump, kont iddeċidejt li nieqaf nikteb fuqu u fuq l-affarijiet tat-tbelliħ li jgħid jew jikteb.

Ikolli nqerr magħkom millewwel d-diffikultà tiegħi li noffri ġudizzju bilanċjat fuq dan il-bniedem partikulari, xi ħaġa li s-soltu nżommha quddiem nett meta nkun qed nikteb din il-kolonna. Dan għaliex inħoss diżgust kbir kull darba li nisma' jew naqra bl-aħħar ċuċata li jkun fettillu jħabbar lid-dinja, li diżgrazzjatament ġieli jkun hemm iktar minn waħda kuljum.

X'ħin niftakar fil-gideb sfaċċjat li jagħmel anke fuq affarijiet trivjali, jitkellem kif ifettillu dak il-ħin anke meta s-suġġett ikun ta' importanza kbira, in-nepotiżmu tiegħu, il-fatt li qed juża l-pożizzjoni tiegħu biex iħaxxen but l-organizzazzjonijiet kummerċjali tiegħu, l-attakki tiegħu fuq l-istituzzjonijiet ta' pajjiżu, l-organizzazzonijiet globali ta' kooperazzjoni u wkoll allejati ta' pajjiżu, l-attitudni ta' 'jien l-ewwel u alabiebi minn ħaddieħor', ngħidilkom li jqabbadni l-bard.

Dan l-aħħar xi ħadd qalli, b'konvinzjoni ta' min kellu rivelazzjoni divina, li Trump, bid-difetti kollha tiegħu, huwa l-mibgħut ta' Alla biex jerġa' jqarrbU mal-Amerikani. Din mhix l-ewwel darba li kont smajtha, ġeneralment mingħand Insara konservattivi, li hemm ħafna minnhom f'dak il-pajjiż, li Trump kellu suċċess mhux ħażin li jonsobhom billi ra x'għamel biex jaħtar żewġ imħallfin konservattivi fil-Qorti Suprema Amerikana li issa meqjusa li xxaqleb lejn il-konservattivi.

Jekk xi darba nikkonkludi li Trump verament huwa l-mibgħut ta' Alla, nista' nwiegħdkom minn issa li niċħad il-Kristjaneżmu, ninjora l-ateiżmu u nissieħeb mas-Satanisti.

Is-suġġett li ġiegħlni nitkellem tant fit-tul fuq Trump, issa qabel dik il-ġurnata tant mistennija din is-sena jew erba' snin oħra fejn id-dinja kollha tkun ħelset minn kankru kbir daqs l-istatwa tal-Libertà, hija s-sitwazzjoni tal-koronavirus tal-Istati Uniti.

L-istorja tibda biċ-Ċentru għall-Kontroll u l-Prevenzjoni tal-Mard (CDC - Centre for Disease Control and Prevention), li s-soltu tkun fuq quddiem nett fil-ġlieda globali kontra xi pandemija, bħal ma kienet fil-każ tal-Ebola, li l-amministrazzjoni ta' Trump għamel minn kollox biex inaqqsilha l-fondi u jagħmlilha l-bsaten fir-roti, inkluż li jfixklilha x-xogħol li kienet qiegħda tagħmel fiċ-Ċina.1

Imbagħad tkompli meta bdew iseħħu l-ewwel infezzjonijiet f'Jannar, u sas-27 ta' Frar kien hemm 15 il-każ. Dakinhar, Trump stqarr li r-riskju għall-poplu Amerikan kien “baxx ħafna” u ftaħar li “jiġri x'jiġri aħna kompletament ippreparati.”2 Qabblu dan il-ftaħir pwerili mal-aħħar statistika mis-CDC dwar każijiet tal-koronavirus, b'1.3 miljun każ u ftit inqas minn 81 elf mewt fit-12 ta' Mejju 2020, u bħalissa rata ta' 18,000 infezzjoni kuljum u 1000 mewt kuljum.3

Ftit ilu, kien hemm rapporti li l-Istati Uniti kienet qed tfittex li tieħu monopolju fuq l-iżvilupp ta' vaċċin għall-koronavirus, li kien qed jiġi żviluppat fil-Ġermanja mill-kumpannija CureVac. Din kienet mossa li kienet mallewwel rreżistita mill-amministrazzjoni Ġermaniża.4 Imma tistgħu timmaġinaw li jiġi żviluppat vaċċin għal din il-marda qerrieda imma jispiċċa f'monopolju ta' pajjiż wieħed għax għandu ħafna flus, minflok tibbenefika minnu l-umanità madwar id-dinja?

Tagħti tifsira ġdida għas-slowgan 'l-Amerika l-ewwel'.

L-uffiċjali tas-saħħa Amerikani ġieli ħeġġew li ċ-ċittadini jieħdu l-prekawzjonijiet, mid-dehra din tapplika għal kulħadd, imma mhux għal Trump. F'dawn il-ġranet, il-White House ħarġet regola li kull min jaħdem hemm irid jilbes maskra, imma mhux Trump.5 Ġurnata oħra, Trump dar fabbrika tal-maskri f'Ariżona, imma hu, u oħrajn madwaru, ma libsux waħda.6

Waqt dik il-mawra fil-fabbrika tal-maskri, instemgħet id-diska tal-Guns and Roses 'Live and Let Die' (Għixu u Ħallu 'l Min Imut). Dan it-titlu jidhirli li deskrizzjoni qrib ħafna tal-likk tal-President u l-amministrazzjoni tiegħu, li issa qiegħed iħeġġeġ lill-istati biex jibdew ineħħu r-restrizzjonijiet li bħalhom saru f'ħafna pajjiżi madwar id-dinja biex jippruvaw irażżnu l-avvanz tal-virus.

Dr Anthony Fauci, l-iprem espert fuq il-mard infettiv ta' pajjiżu, fit-12 ta' Mejju wissa li jkun hemm konsegwenzi serji jekk l-Istati Uniti terġa tiftaħ l-ekonomija tagħha malajr wisq.7 Madankollu, l-amministrazzjoni ta' Trump l-ewwel ħabbret li l-kumitat li kien qiegħed jikkoordina l-ġlieda kontra l-virus kien se jagħlaq, u l-għada qal li se jkompli imma jikkonċentra fuq is-sigurtà u l-ftuħ mill-ġdid tal-pajjiż. Trump ikkonċeda li se jkun hemm nies li jkunu affettwati ħażin, metafora għal li jispiċċaw imutu.8

Ftit ilu, studju Amerikan sab li l-imwiet Amerikani mill-virus huma predominantement suwed, riżultat tal-inugwaljanzi fis-soċjetà Amerikana, li jwasslu għal vulnerabbiltà ikbar tagħhom fuq ħafna livelli minn ħaddieħor. Min jaf, forsi Trump ikkalkula li jekk imutu ħafna nies suwed, dawn kienu aktarx jivvutaw lid-Demokrati, u allura jiġi vvantaġġjat fl-elezzjonijiet presidenzjali ta' Novembru.

Forsi, wara kollox, veru li Trump ikollu l-effett li jqarreb 'l Alla mal-Amerikani, billi jibgħat lil tal-aħħar bikrin għand il-Ħallieq!

Ftit qabel l-elezzjoni tal-2016, Trump staqsa retorikament lill-Afrikani-Amerikani ta' pajjiżu, f'attentat biex jikkunsidraw jivvutawlu, “X'għandkom x'titilfu?”9 Meta s-sistema ekonomika ma tkunx qed tgħin lil bniedem, dan huwa argument b'saħħtu, u min ikun qed jegħreq, aktarx jiggranfa ma kull wiegħda li ttih ftit tama, implawsibbli jew improbabbli daqs kemm tista' tkun.

Illum, forsi l-Amerikani jistgħu inwieġbu għal din il-mistoqsija.

“Ħajjitna”!

1https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/mar/24/trump-cuts-undermine-coronavirus-containment-cdc-watchdog-report, retrieved 13/5/2020

2https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-02-26/trump-seeks-to-ease-virus-concerns-as-lawmakers-fault-response, retrieved 13/5/2020

3https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/cases-updates/cases-in-us.html, retrieved 13/5/2020

4https://www.smh.com.au/world/europe/trump-tries-to-lure-vaccine-maker-to-us-from-germany-20200316-p54aby.html, retrieved 13/5/2020

5https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/white-house-implements-stringent-mask-policy--but-not-for-trump/2020/05/11/6fe9ccbc-93a2-11ea-82b4-c8db161ff6e5_story.html, retrieved 13/5/2020

6https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/may/06/trump-live-and-let-die-mask-factory-video, retrieved 13/5/2020

7https://www.cbsnews.com/news/fauci-serious-consequences-united-states-reopening-warning/, retrieved 13/5/2020

8https://www.ecowatch.com/trump-coronavirus-task-force-2645931668.html?rebelltitem=3#rebelltitem3, retrieved 13/5/2020

9https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2016-election/trump-african-american-voters-what-do-you-have-lose-n634816, retrieved 13/5/2020

1https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/mar/24/trump-cuts-undermine-coronavirus-containment-cdc-watchdog-report, retrieved 13/5/2020