Chris Walker is a freelance journalist based in Madison, Wisconsin, who focuses on news, politics, and analysis of world events. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, since 2005 Chris has reported on workers' rights protests in Wisconsin, opined on four separate presidential elections and written on a number of other political subjects for a variety of national online publications.
It’s apparent to most that President Donald Trump doesn’t have a clue what he’s doing, especially with regard to the coronavirus pandemic. Here are some of his “greatest hits” — Trump, who seems to be more focused on reopening the economy in order to boost his reelection chances, has suggested doing so long before his…
Americans don’t trust President Donald Trump when it comes to what he says about the coronavirus crisis. And why should they? Day after day, he lies to us. Week after week, he makes grandiose promises (“Anybody that wants a test can get a test, that’s what the bottom line is”) then backs away from them…
Citing words from an influential businessman, Trump suggested on Sunday afternoon that the poor response to coronavirus in the United States wasn’t his administration’s fault, but that of Congress’. “Great businessman & philanthropist Bernie Marcus, Co-Founder of Home Depot, said that Congress was too distracted by the (phony) Impeachment Witch Hunt when they should have…
Most Americans by now agree that President Donald Trump’s response to the coronavirus pandemic has been disastrous, or at the very least, sorely lacking. A majority, 51 percent, disapprove of the response his administration has had in handling the spread of the disease in the U.S., with 46 percent approving, according to a recent Quinnipiac…
Former CNN anchor, current executive producer, and talk show host Soledad O’Brien criticized comments from U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams on Sunday, resulting in a back-and-forth between the two in which O’Brien appeared to suggest Adams was not a credible voice during the coronavirus crisis. During an interview with Adams on NBC’s “Meet the Press,”…
One of the running lines from President Donald Trump and other Republican lawmakers throughout the entire coronavirus ordeal has been that Democrats are focused on politics or scoring political wins against him, using the crisis as a means to do so. Trump himself has questioned Democrats’ motives from the beginning — remember him calling COVID-19…
In defending his administration’s response to the coronavirus pandemic earlier this month, President Donald Trump brought forward an unusual comparison, implying that his predecessor had done a worse job than him during a separate viral outbreak. Speaking with Sean Hannity during an interview on Fox News on March 4, Trump claimed that the swine flu…
The ineptitude and general inability of President Donald Trump to function properly and appropriately in his role as chief executive were known well-before these past few weeks, but the coronavirus crisis has seemed to highlight what we’ve already understood for quite some time: if the United States ever faced a real crisis with Trump still…
A $2 trillion stimulus package deal was agreed to on Wednesday morning, ending an impasse between political parties and the White House on a much-needed relief bill to deal with the coronavirus pandemic. Among other provisions, the deal includes substantial aid to frontline workers in the medical industry. It also gives $1,200 to every American…
If you feel like you are in a crisis situation, and need help or someone to talk to, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). One of the reasons why President Donald Trump wants to end social distancing practices set up in place to deal with the coronavirus pandemic is to stave off…
Democrats, Republicans, and the White House announced a deal in the early hours of Wednesday morning meant to give much-needed relief to American workers and businesses across the country affected by the economic downturns created by the coronavirus global pandemic. One provision could possibly annoy President Donald Trump somewhat, as it directly affects his corporate…
Polling on the topic of President Donald Trump’s response to the coronavirus crisis has been a mixed bag, with several polling outfits showing a split among the American people on his job performance, and some even showing a net positive rating. But when it comes to how well Trump polls compared to America’s state governors,…
In the past few days, President Donald Trump has made clear his desire to put a quick end to the practice of social distancing in order to combat the threat of coronavirus — a move that health experts agree is premature. On Tuesday, however, Trump assuaged his message a bit, claiming that Americans could go…
The absence of a respected medical professional who has become a media star during the coronavirus crisis (due to his straightforwardness and ability to correct the record) was noticeably absent on Monday during a White House press briefing — and Americans, perhaps rightly so, freaked out. Dr. Anthony Fauci, a member of President Donald Trump’s…
Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Democrat from Minnesota, announced on Monday that her husband, law professor John Bessler, has contracted coronavirus. Bessler, 52, teaches law in Baltimore, Maryland. Klobuchar is not presently near her husband at this moment, but said in a statement she’s maintaining contact through digital means. “While I cannot see him and he is…
Following a barrage of media reports showcasing spring-breakers partying on beaches and New Yorkers continuing to congregate in public parks, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams issued out a dire warning: Take the threat of coronavirus seriously, or else things are going to get worse. This week in particular will undoubtedly be the worst one…
Over the past week, President Donald Trump had claimed he was planning to invoke Defense Production Act powers that would allow his administration to compel private businesses to create products currently on short supply due to the coronavirus crisis. But Trump reneged on that promise, telling reporters over the weekend that it wasn’t necessary as…
President Donald Trump commented on Thursday over the spread of coronavirus in the United States over the past few weeks, lamenting to himself and to reporters that no one could have been ready for it. A new report, however, shows that the U.S. federal government actually tried to ready itself for just such an event….
How do Americans rate President Donald Trump’s job so far in addressing the spread of coronavirus? One poll seems to imply that a shift is happening, toward more approving his response than disapproving. The poll, conducted jointly by ABC News and Ipsos, found that 54 percent approve of Trump’s job handling the disease, while 43…
A number of reasonable changes to accommodate America’s new reality in dealing with the coronavirus crisis have been proposed and adopted by the federal government. Now, the deadline to file for taxes is one of them. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin announced on Friday that American taxpayers would not have to adhere to the normal April…
The number of cases of coronavirus in the United States continues to climb. The reason? It’s partly because the disease is spreading more, but also partly because more tests are becoming available, allowing people who contracted the disease but didn’t know one way or the other days ago to finally find out. As of Thursday…
A congressman from the northernmost state in the Union told seniors last week they had nothing to worry about coronavirus infecting them, calling such concerns “overblown” during an event last week. “They call it the coronavirus. I call it the beer virus. How do you like that?” Rep. Don Young, a Republican from Alaska, said…
President Donald Trump recently shifted gears and said earlier this week that he always knew a coronavirus pandemic was on its way. But while that may be a CYA move by the president in a blatant attempt to make it seem like he’s not failing when it comes to responding to the CODIV-19 outbreak, others…
There are some who appear to be taking advantage of the spread of coronavirus across the country in order to gain from others’ hardships in a financial way. Some of these individuals are religious figures, including Paula White, the spiritual adviser to President Donald Trump. White, who heads the president’s Faith and Opportunity Initiative, recently…
President Donald Trump has used a racist term several times in as many days — three times on Wednesday alone — in place of the name of the current pandemic disease sweeping across the nation. While the nation struggles to deal with the health and economic fallout from the coronavirus crisis, Trump has made a…
After a rout of losses on Tuesday evening to former Vice President Joe Biden, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders is reportedly questioning his next moves in the Democratic Party’s primary contests to determine a nominee for president. Biden won in all three states up for grabs Tuesday, including Florida, Illinois, and Arizona. His total delegate count…
Testing for coronavirus is an important aspect in protecting the citizenry of any nation. Doing so allows health officials to track where the virus is, and to quarantine individuals or communities in order to stop the virus’ spread. Unfortunately for the United States, the Trump administration’s response to the virus has been anything but spectacular,…
President Donald Trump has been talking himself up as the right person for the job to lead on addressing and diminishing the spread of coronavirus, or COVID-19, across the country. Problem is, most Americans don’t trust him to do so. A new poll published on Tuesday from NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist found that the citizenry is split…
This past week, President Donald Trump was questioned over whether he took any responsibility — any at all — for his administration’s slow response in handling the outbreak of COVID-19, also known as coronavirus, across the country. Kristen Welker of NBC News asked the president whether the buck stopped with him when it came to…
Healthcare reform, coronavirus, and who could beat President Donald Trump in a general election matchup were all obvious topics that viewers should have expected to be discussed in the debate between Democratic Party candidates Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders on Sunday night. But a promise from Biden also made headlines — the pledge that a…
Over the weekend, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued out a warning to all Americans, recommending them to stop attending events that had 50 or more participants involved. However, due to the urgency of President Donald Trump’s proclamation last Wednesday, that he would be banning all travel coming from Europe starting on Friday,…
Over the past weekend, in an effort to inject a boost to an already fragile economy and stock market, the Federal Reserve dropped interest rates down to zero percent. It was a demand that President Donald Trump had frequently made of the Fed for several months. In recent weeks, Trump also implied that the move…
The Trump administration’s response to the spread of coronavirus within the United States has been criticized for being unable to effectively test people who present symptoms of the disease, as well as the fact that the president himself seems to have an optimistic viewpoint over what many medical professionals fear could happen. Hoping to find…
As the spread of coronavirus takes hold across the United States, many are wondering what actions state governments may be able to take in order to ensure the poor are receiving adequate health coverage during this time. In the past, presidential administrations from both political parties have loosened rules governing the disbursement of Medicaid funds…
How has President Donald Trump done so far when it comes to responding to the coronavirus pandemic and its spread across America? How concerned are Americans overall when it comes to catching the disease personally? According to an ABC News/Ipsos poll released on Friday, neither question offers optimistic answers that this administration was probably hoping…
The stock markets have tanked pretty hard due to concerns surrounding the spread of coronavirus across the globe. Nevertheless, President Donald Trump is still trying to promote an optimistic view about what’s happening, economically, when it comes to the disease’s impact. When asked on Thursday if he was planning to sign any sort of economic…
In an interview with “TODAY” show host Savannah Guthrie, Vice President Mike Pence admitted that some of the words and comments coming about surrounding the coronavirus outbreak have been “irresponsible,” but stopped short of chiding his own boss for saying downright inaccurate and misleading things about the disease. When Pence was asked if he had…
The Duke of Sussex Prince Harry was reportedly the victim of a prank phone call from a pair of Russian jokesters, in which he described his feelings on a number of issues in a candid way. Harry believed the call was coming from climate activist Greta Thunberg and her father. In fact, it was from…
Could a border wall proposed by President Donald Trump halt the spread of coronavirus in the United States? The president seems to think so, but healthcare professionals disagree. At a campaign rally in South Carolina two weeks ago, Trump made the claim that his proposed wall along the southern U.S. border with Mexico could help…
President Donald Trump really wants a stimulus package to pass Congress so that he can deal with the economic fallout that’s related to the global spread of coronavirus. Among other items, Trump is promoting a payroll tax holiday to last through at least the end of this year, a notion that some in his own…
President Donald Trump has made a lot of audacious — and inaccurate — claims about coronavirus in the United States over the past few weeks, one of them being that the number of cases would be going down, and soon would approach zero within a matter of days. His own Surgeon General contradicted that specific…
In conjunction with a political organization called “Protect Our Care,” which seeks to provide “outreach, rapid response, research and messaging center in the fight to protect health care,” former President Barack Obama released a video in which he celebrated and touted the reforms passed in the Affordable Care Act. The ACA, commonly called Obamacare by…
President Donald Trump quoted a tweet from a “Bernie or Bust” Twitter user on Tuesday, in which that user suggested Trump would defeat former Vice President Joe Biden in a head-to-head national election. Trump agreed, but said he would also defeat Sen. Bernie Sanders as well. “Polls say they BOTH lose to ‘Trump,’” the president…
Although the nomination contests to determine who Democrats will choose to be their presidential nominee have not yet completed, both candidates, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and former Vice President Joe Biden, appear to be the favorites in head-to-head polling against incumbent President Donald Trump. Data from a new CNN/SSRS poll showcases that, among a national…
In spite of deeply held concerns from medical professionals and the business world alike, President Donald Trump appeared to mock the worries posed by the spread of COVID-19, or coronavirus, around the globe and within the United States. After a tremendous drop in stocks on Monday morning, brought about by concerns of coronavirus in conjunction…
White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham, appearing on Fox News’ Fox & Friends program on Monday morning, suggested that media reports about the spread of coronavirus and criticism from Democrats over the administration’s response so far to the disease are nothing more than scare tactics meant to help them politically. “I just want to stress to…
Wall Street stock markets dropped so precipitously on Monday’s opening bell that a 15-minute delay in all trading conducted was triggered. Such a trigger happens on trading when the S&P 500 dips below 7 percent from its previous close, Bloomberg reported. If the rate drops down to 20 percent below its previous close, Wall Street…
Responding to questions from reporters on Friday regarding Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s departure from the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination contests, President Donald Trump said that she lost confidence from voters because of how “mean” she is. He also questioned her credentials as a candidate. “I think lack of talent was her problem. She had a tremendous…
President Donald Trump certainly likes to spin news headlines to create an image that is favorable to him. That’s a mighty difficult thing to do during a global outbreak in which coronavirus, or COVID-19, has affected hundreds of thousands of lives, and resulted in the deaths of thousands across the globe. Trump tried, nonetheless, on…
Former Democratic presidential candidate and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton lashed out at current first lady Melania Trump’s “Be Best” program, criticizing the White House program for being hypocritical. Considering the many ways that Trump’s husband, President Donald Trump, has behaved in office so far, it’s not hard to see why Clinton made the comments…
Even if Democrats win the presidency this year, it would be hard for any Democratic president to get a lot done with policy, given the current make-up within Congress. While Democrats control the House of Representatives, currently Republicans have a majority in the Senate, with 53 senators in the “upper house” part of the GOP…
Sen. Elizabeth Warren is set to announce on Thursday that she is suspending her run to be the Democratic Party’s nominee for president. The New York Times reported the development on Thursday morning, citing sources from her campaign that detailed the planned announcement. Warren’s campaign ignited strong support in the beginning, prior to any nominating…
During an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity on Wednesday evening, President Donald Trump made a number of inaccurate and bewildering claims about coronavirus and its spread, in the United States and elsewhere. On Thursday morning, facing headlines criticizing him for those inaccuracies, Trump blasted the media, calling them “fake news” for suggesting he had…
Sources close to presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) said on Wednesday that she was taking the day to discuss with staffers what her next moves would be, and to “reassess” if there was a path forward for her within the Democratic Party’s nomination proceedings. A senior campaign official speaking to The Hill stated that…
After Super Tuesday election results showed he was only going to receive a handful of delegates, Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg announced on Wednesday that he was suspending his campaign. As of 10:30 a.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, Bloomberg had won just 12 delegates of the 1,338 set to be awarded out from the set…
During a campaign event hosted by former Vice President Joe Biden on Tuesday evening, while celebrating early returns from Super Tuesday election results, two protesters stormed the stage and interrupted his statements. The protesters appeared to be animal rights’ activists and started shouting, “Let dairy die!” while they were on the stage. They were immediately…
