Trump’s attempt to disinfect patchy Corona record

The problem with Trump is he is clutching at straws to disinfect his patchy corona record, as his average job approval rating is slipping.

Loud thinking is often useful as it helps catalyse thoughts and germinate new ideas. But if someone in a position of influence thinks aloud in a public space on a subject way beyond their sphere of competence, they not only create an awkward situation for themselves but also send a muddled message that some of their blind followers could choose to emulate with disastrous consequences. Take US President Donald Trump. So carried away was he by an expert’s presentation on the coronavirus quickly succumbing to sunlight and disinfectants, that he suggested looking into the possibility of injecting the latter into the human body and using high intensity light as a form of therapy.

The entire scientific world got worried about his injection idea as they feared a spike in cases of ingestion of disinfectants stocked at home that are not meant for human consumption. Manufacturers of popular disinfectants Lysol and Dettol, too, put out advisories warning people against taking Trump’s suggestion literally. For, Dettol poisoning is known to corrode the larynx and the central nervous system. Also, the link between exposure to ultraviolet light and cancer is well established.

Trump’s lack of understanding of science and human anatomy is well established. He once said noise from windmills causes cancer. On another occasion, he said “the kidney has a very special place in the heart”. In 2012, he called global warming a Chinese hoax, but back-pedaled in 2016 to call it a joke. Another gaffe was calling the moon a part of Mars.

The problem with Trump is he is clutching at straws to disinfect his patchy corona record, as his average job approval rating is slipping. With over 54,000 citizens dying because of the pandemic under his watch as President till now, he is worried over his re-election chances. It is his nervous fulminations to get out of the rut that appear to be at the core of all the wrong messaging. The President has since realised his folly on disinfectants and tried to wish it away as sarcasm. The virus has already made the world a dangerous place. One hopes leaders would speak with prudence on matters of public health and not compound the problem.