Ross: Coronavirus making us miss the days of petty politics

I had a gut reaction during a recent news conference from President Trump that surprised me. In the middle of all these somber questions about the coronavirus – a lot of them coming from Fox News – a reporter asked a question about a new poll.

It was a Marist poll on the President’s credibility released by NPR and PBS. It indicates that overall, 60% of Americans either had not very much or no trust at all in what he’s saying.

But before the reporter could get the rest of the question out, the President cut him off.

“Who are you asking that question, because I see that they’re very high,” he stated.

And he had a poll of his own to share:

“We just had a poll done by a very reputable group where I’m beating sleepy Joe Biden by a lot in Florida and many of the other states,” Trump touted.

And that’s when this feeling came over me – I missed those days! The days when it seemed so important to point out that the nicknames, the grudges, the preoccupation with polls, that all of this Trumpiness isn’t normal presidential behavior.

Well, it may not be normal. I get it that people want to make the point that this is probably how global warming will play out if leaders keep denying it before they finally believe it because you can’t just wish away the science. And yet part of me wishes you could.

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