@goldberg,
My reply to someone who slagged Mike Pence off for not wearing a mask . He had made such comments elsewhere on a Chinese website. I think he has a point when it comes to doubting Mike Pence's ability to think like a sobersides.
"I just want to say that whether Mike Pence is a "plucky" vice president or simply an ignoramus is still a moot point for conservatives. Lots of obdurate conservatives are still unfazed by reports that claim people who opt to not to wear masks outside are prone to this virus. Some TV news anchors working at Fox News reportedly also tried to dissuade people from wearing masks weeks ago; they only changed their minds after being admonished by several well-regarded experts like Fauci appearing on Fox News.
Yet to Fauci's consternation, America still has lots of balky people scrambling to rationalize their decision not to wear masks, saying "such moves would demoralize the American people." I remember one of them saying "We are all valorous fighters ; only timid souls would wear masks."
Mike Pence may have chosen not to wear it in order to gin up the faithful during his visit of that hospital, trying to convey a message that he or Trump is an intrepid leader who is not aghast at the possibility of getting afflicted by Covid-19. A disciple of Nietzscheanism would call such people "supermen."
I don't think either Mike Pence nor Trump is a superman. They are both crave solipsists besotted with the idea of using their prerogatives to protect their own financial and political interests. Using incendiary rhetoric is also a way for them to bolster Trump's base while giving them a chance to nudge most American voters to scant other critical issues. In some respects, Trump knows that lots of conservatives cluck over or even eulogize Trump's propensity to castigate foreign leaders and let them hold the bag for Trump's own ineptitude and hubris. That's just Trump's stock-in-trade.
For this reason I'd hazard a guess that Trump and his minions' attacks on China won't show sign of abating in months to come. Beyond that, Joe Biden will find himself targeted for opprobrium by Trump: Trump's mouthpiece Fox News has already done that with the help of Tara Reade. It's worrisome that a liberal publication like The New York Times even laced into Biden's team for trying to nobble its coverage of this case. That being said, I still can't hold me back from laughing when some talking heads working at Fox News claim that their network can be trusted since their reporting is fair-based. Has Fox News ever done a thing like this? What a hoot!
Whether Trump's strenuous efforts to denigrate Biden can do the trick pivots on the response of the general public about Trump's handling of Covid-19 and America's economy. If most Americans still wring their hands about the threat of Covid-19 and air grievances about rising unemployment a few months later , then Joe Biden may be able to cash in on this to defeat Trump. On the other hand, there is no guarantee that Joe Biden will outfox Trump's strategists who don't quail at the suggestion of employing underhanded tactics designed to sully Biden's reputation and eviscerate his campaign.
Above all, Trump has a fox called Fox News backing him up. Maybe Biden's supporters could set up another channel called Hunter News to snare the fox.