Sigh. You know, at this point I think we have heard more than enough from Trump's self-declared "evangelical" accomplices. Politico's story peppers in the names and quotes of the same con artists and grifters quoted to give the "conservative" "evangelical" perspective in every previous story. (Ralph Reed! Who the hell still goes to get a quote from Ralph freaking Reed, of all people? Are you joking?) It is self-evident that the lot of them are Trump allies solely because it has provided them a way to slither back into press interviews.

They say that China needs to pay a price for not being forthcoming enough in the early days of their own epidemic—evangelicals being, of course, relentless advocates for Jesus' messages of vengeance. They say that a good way to do this is that maaaaybe China should be forced to forgive some of the $1.1 trillion in U.S. government debt owned by that country—evangelicals being, of course, relentlessly focused on international economic policy.

What it really means is that Trump's own team has been floating these things—part of Trump's attempts to blame everybody—everywhere rather than ever admit that the man himself is responsible for his failures. Trump's "evangelical" allies are willing to parrot whatever lines Trump's team believes are politically advantageous. There are no deep principles here. Grifters like money. Scammers like attention. "Prosperity gospel" con artists like the attention they get from hitching their private-plane-flying selves to America's own as-seen-on-TV golden calf, and aren't going to give it up for anything.

It's all fake. It's a game. Nobody has to take any of it seriously, and anyone who does is a sucker.

Sure, right. "Evangelical" "conservatives" are sincerely outraged by government leaders being less than honest with their people about an emerging epidemic, a principle that manifests itself in exactly one (1) instance and no other. And also maybe they have some pills in their back rooms that will cure the virus outright, if you have a few more dollars to send their way.