At first, Donald Trump’s claims of almost superhuman intelligence appalled the educated and impressed the ignorant.

Back then, he was saying things like, “My IQ is one of the highest.” It was nothing specific; and it left all the important details to the imaginations of the brainless.

Unfortunately, POTUS’s claims of knowledge and expertise have become more and more specific, and in the past month he’s graduated to three new positions of superlativity. He is now the nation’s chief law enforcement officer, India’s new national hero and the world’s top epidemiologist. While these claims may have caused you to roll your eyes and chuckle, his last two self-bestowed titles should create fear, not just in every American, but for all the world’s population.

It all started with Trump’s claim that he is one of the smartest people in America — a stable genius. Then it was, “Nobody knows more about this kind of technology than I do — thousands of people rushing the border and drones flying overhead.”

We certainly can’t overlook his military genius. He has reminded us, more than once, “Nobody is bigger and better at the military than I am.” (It’s pretty amazing that his bone spurs aren’t getting in the way.)

And when it comes to counter-terrorism, he’s far ahead of his own Homeland Security: “I know more about ISIS than the generals.”

Trump’s involvement into American’s own expert on virtually everything, leaves his followers in absolute awe — in my case, with an acute case of projectile vomiting.

And the list goes on: “I’m the Ernest Hemingway of 140 characters,” he claims on his tweeting expertise, and he’s made it clear that on “all subjects, disciplines, and topics,” he’s the absolute authority. After all he “could have stopped 9-11 from happening” because he’s “so tough on immigration.” And, in the area of fiscal savvy: “I am the king of banking. Boy, do I know a lot about banking.” “Construction is what I know; nobody knows it better.” And, in the broadest context, Trump has proclaimed, “Nobody knows the system better than me. I, alone, can fix it.”

Trump recently gave the Medal of Freedom to his buddy-in-stupidity, Rush Limbaugh, who proclaimed years ago that he was the only person any American needed to listen to get all the answers. As one of the president’s mafia, he, too, proved that the rich and powerful don’t have to pay the same price that the neighborhood blacks do. He beat a passel of charges on illegal possession and distribution of prescription drugs, paying only a $30,000 fine and avoiding the mandatory sentencing guidelines. It’s obvious Limbaugh deserved the Medal of Freedom. After all, he was never incarcerated.

Limbaugh’s latest lie to the American public is his claim that the coronavirus is “no worse than the common cold” and that China has weaponized the disease in order to bring down Trump’s presidency. Rush has asserted that the Chinese government created the virus in a laboratory, specifically to hurt the U.S. Considering that most of the world’s coronavirus victims have been Chinese, and that China has been aggressively working to contain its spread, Limbaugh’s explanation is one that can only gain traction among congenitally-brain-damaged second-graders. His Medal of Freedom is merely an official welcome into the Trump Liars’ Club.

Most recently, Trump claimed that he is the nation’s top law enforcement officer, which brings to mind a slapstick episode of the Keystone Cops and Laurel and Hardy, all wrapped up into one hee-hawing episode.

Article continues below

Sadly, when a president controls the judiciary, this claim is not all that far-fetched. His illegal, unconstitutional, and treasonous moves to blur the divisions between the branches of government have, indeed, given him clout over the Senate, the legislators, and the courts. When you view just how far he’s gone, his coronation ceremony won’t be any surprise.

But Trump’s newest claim — that the coronavirus is not a real threat, and will probably just go away — should strike fear into the hearts of all Americans. In another power-consolidating move, he’s now requiring the administration’s approval on all public health announcements. This has never been done before. The CDC and its epidemiologists, responsible for public health, have always been allowed to make their own public announcements — without any government censure.

The world markets found Trump’s control of information so disturbing, markets have fallen like a rock. And, true to form, he’s assigned one of his yes-men to the task of using this very real public health threat as a campaign prop.

Listen, friends. This is no joke. It’s not the common cold, and we have no way of knowing just how fast the disease will spread. This is about our lives, our children’s lives, and may well have a lasting impact on the health of our world. For those who understand the exponential spread of highly-contagious pathogens, the 65-plus cases in our own country could easily turn into a thousand tomorrow, five-million next month and, in a world of billions of people, It may well kill hundreds of millions before it runs its course.

Poor POTUS. He’s like a little toddler who thinks that when he plays peek-a-boo, things actually disappear. “Science? What’s that?”

Send Trump a message: This is not about him, nor is it some plot concocted by the deep state. It is a world crisis, and not something that goes away because he wants to deny its existence.

And, those of you who are still alive in November, please give Trump the boot.

Michael S. Robinson