Liz Wheeler's shameful hypocrisy on COVID-19 policy
Mike Pence could not have done anything without Donald Trump's approval. Trump cultists need to stop blaming Pence for Trump's policies.
I realize this may come as a shock to a lot of people, especially Donald Trump's boosters on social media, but it is still an irrefutable fact: Trump was the President of these United States from January of 2017 to January of 2021. This means Trump was President when the COVID-19 pandemic started, and remained President for the first year of the pandemic.
Enter Liz Wheeler, a Roman Catholic podcaster who loves Trump. Wheeler claimed that Vice President Mike Pence is "scared" because of impending "investigations" into the government's response to the pandemic. The dishonesty and hypocrisy of this statement is outrageous.
One of the reasons I did not vote for Trump in 2024, after voting for him in the 2020 general election, is the utterly shameful way the "MAGA" movement has treated Mike Pence, after Pence loyally served, defended and constantly praised Trump for four years. The utterly unhinged personal hatred of Pence continues to this day, with "MAGA" trolls filling the replies of every post Pence makes on X with obscene personal attacks and name calling, usually accompanied by many variations of the F word.
Let's be very clear here. Trump supported Anthony Fauci throughout the pandemic, even as there were increasingly loud calls to fire him. Trump could have fired Fauci at any time with the stroke of a pen. Trump appeared at daily press briefings with Fauci, lending him credibility and an endorsement. Trump attacked the state of Georgia for opening up "too soon" after what was supposed to be "fifteen days to slow the spread." (It turned into more than a year to slow the spread.) Trump even attacked the state of Florida, which conservatives (including Wheeler herself) had held up as a model of economic and medical freedom during the pandemic.
The buck stops with Trump. He was the President (yes, he actually was!) and was deeply involved in COVID-19 policymaking. To this day, Trump takes credit for the MRNA vaccines for COVID-19, which many conservatives (including Wheeler herself) have railed against for years. To place the blame for federal policy on Pence is shamefully dishonest and hypocritical, and for a Christian to do it brings shame and dishonor on the name of Jesus Christ.
There were a number of errors made during the COVID-19 pandemic response, some of which could be easily seen at the time and some of which could be seen only in hindsight. Most of this was done at the state and local level, with federal input limited to an advisory role. Trump is correct to tout his role in developing a vaccine that has been a benefit to vulnerable populations. To totally absolve Trump of every ounce of blame for federal policy while he was the President is shamefully dishonest and hypocritical. This deplorable behavior needs to stop immediately.