By William Rivers Pitt, Truthout

More than 10,000 people in the U.S. died from COVID-19 in the time between when Donald Trump blew up the stimulus bill and when he finally signed it. No, he doesn’t care about that.

The millions of people desperate for unemployment assistance, along with millions more in peril of eviction are nowhere on his mind, either.

The economic crash that would have come after a simultaneous stimulus bill collapse, an eviction eruption and a government shutdown in the middle of a pandemic? Not of concern.

The terrible disruption in vaccine distribution if the lights went out in the federal government? Whatever.

As the tension over Trump’s refusal to act reached peak intensity, Republican Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania finally found his voice amid the muted GOP amen chorus. If Trump fails to sign the dual relief/shutdown bill, said Toomey, “he’ll be remembered for chaos and misery and erratic behavior if he allows this to expire.”

Senator Toomey, I do believe that ship has sailed.

Trump wanted his name in the papers, and that’s why this long week of fear and uncertainty was dropped on a nation already coiled in fear and uncertainty. It was an act of sadism, the deliberate infliction of pain on a population already on its knees. Folks need help badly, and instead they got the back of Trump’s orange little hand, again.

For the record, the man had no interest in seeing those direct payments increased to $2,000. This was a demand for another witless act of loyalty by congressional Republicans; further, it draws a bright red circle around the GOP’s refusal to disburse more funds directly to the people. This was, of course, deliberate. Speaker Pelosi dreams of being able to box in the GOP the way Trump has over the last week.

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