Trump Goes Over the Deep End

Trump went really off the rails at his Monday briefing, coming very close to declaring himself a dictator.  When asked about the states not wanting to relax social distancing, he said "The president of the United States calls the shots- it's the decision for the president.  They can't do anything without the approval of the president."  He later added, "When somebody is the president of the United States, the authority is total.  And that's the way it's gotta be.  It's total.

Yet, he continued to shoulder none of the blame for what is universally  considered one of the worst coronavirus response efforts in the world.   When asked where such "total authority" was derived, Trump said "We are going to write up papers on this.  It's not going to be necessary because the governors need us one way or the other.  Because ultimately it comes with the federal government."  No legal or constitutional expert could figure out what the hell he was talking about.

During its live coverage of Trump's bonkers performance, CNN pulled no punches in characterizing the unfolding events:

Many heaped praise on CNN for highlighting Trump's bullshit via the use of live captions (chyrons) during the broadcast.  One Twitter user said that whoever writes the chyrons deserved a Pulitzer.  Another said the chyron writer was a "fucking hero."   Other observers said that CNN "can keep putting all the sassy chyrons on screen they want-- it doesn't matter.  What matters is when the networks stop airing the briefing and start covering it."  Another Twitter user implored CNN "don't air this shit."