President Donald Trump speaks about the coronavirus in the James Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House, Wednesday, April 22, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Conservative radio and television host Jesse Kelly, who voted for President Trump in 2016 and plans to do so in November, has an uncomfortable message for the President that he needs to listen to.

Through a series of tweets posted on Wednesday night, Kelly, unapologetic as always, issued a clear warning to the President that he owns these lockdowns and he must open up the economy now or face defeat in November.

Below is a transcript of Kelly’s comments, followed by my comments:

For those who’ve convinced themselves our wrecked economy is some Leftist plot, here you go. It’s not. Much as it sucks, Trump has been 100% behind these lockdowns. That’s simply a fact. For better or worse, he owns a lot of where we are. You can get mad at me all you want. I voted for him. I’ll happily vote for him again. But you absolutely cannot absolve him of responsibility for this economic disaster. Maybe he does know more. Maybe he’s been right all along. But 30 million unemployed, he owns it. People are scared to get yelled at. I’m not. They also think their silence is helpful. If you’re a Trump supporter, and I am, now is the time he NEEDS to hear your disagreement. You’re not a better supporter if you just agree with everything. You’re a chump. He’s not “getting it from all sides”. The ONLY people wanting to open are the unemployed and about 10 pundits on the Right. Virtually everyone else is telling him to keep it locked. I’ve been out of work. I care about 30 million people who can’t pay bills enough to speak up. Trump voters were the “silent majority” last time because we live in a shame society and many didn’t want to admit they’re voting for him. I’m telling you all right now, the new “silent majority” is people FURIOUS about these lockdowns. You should see my emails. The very thought of this makes me throw up in my mouth. I want four more years of what Trump has done. But 50,000 votes are the reason you don’t have President Hillary. If you think 30 million unemployed people doesn’t risk those 50k flipping sides, you’re a moron.

I agree with Kelly 100%. I’ve been feeling more than a little impatient with the pace at which President Trump has approached the reopening of the economy. When I read about Trump’s criticism of Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp’s decision to reopen certain services, I was disappointed. Frankly, I don’t care if hair salons open up or not in Georgia, but the fact that the Governor is taking steps toward ending the lockdown was encouraging.

I understand that the Wuhan flu is more easily transmittable than SARS or MERS, but as time goes on, we’re finding that the mortality rate is lower and immunity is greater than we had thought. We’ve also learned that COVID-19 arrived in the U.S. earlier than we realized.

One fact bears repeating. The stated reason for the shutdowns was to flatten the curve so as not to overwhelm U.S. hospitals with a sudden influx of patients. The experts told us that the number of deaths would remain around the same whether the economy closed or not, the only difference is that the deaths would occur over a longer period of time. The models showed that the point was to slow down the curve. We would aim for a shorter, fatter curve as opposed to a taller, thinner curve.

Although some states are further along the curve than others, every state is at or beyond their peak. See, “Here’s Where the States Fall on the COVID-19 Curve.”

President Trump shut down the economy to avoid overwhelming the hospitals and 30 million people are now unemployed. Each person who has lost their job has at least one significant other who will be affected by the loss whether it be a spouse, a child, or a partner. Their job loss will create problems, in some cases, for years to come. As livelihoods are lost, the suicide rate has increased. We will see disrupted childhoods as well as an increase in the divorce rate. As they say, when there’s no money, honey, love flies out the window.

In other words, we will see human suffering.

The Dr. Fauci camp would like to see the lockdown last until a vaccine is available. Dr. Fauci is also a creature of the left.

The Democrats, knowing the wrecked economy could cost Trump the presidency in November, want it to continue. It would be catastrophic for the country if Biden, or Bill Gates, or any one of a number of other leftists prevail, especially at a point when the country is in such a fragile state economically and otherwise. It would leave citizens vulnerable to a serious power grab from the likes of the far left who have longed for control and power for so long.

From where I sit, President Trump appears to be getting a bit too comfortable with the new normal and it needs to end.

Americans need to get back to work.

For those who’ve convinced themselves our wrecked economy is some Leftist plot, here you go. It’s not. Much as it sucks, Trump has been 100% behind these lockdowns. That’s simply a fact. For better or worse, he owns a lot of where we are. https://t.co/U8ekpaSgje — Jesse Kelly (@JesseKellyDC) April 23, 2020

You can get mad at me all you want. I voted for him. I’ll happily vote for him again. But you absolutely cannot absolve him of responsibility for this economic disaster. Maybe he does know more. Maybe he’s been right all along. But 30 million unemployed, he owns it. https://t.co/RtLgGfJ2tA — Jesse Kelly (@JesseKellyDC) April 23, 2020

People are scared to get yelled at. I’m not. They also think their silence is helpful. If you’re a Trump supporter, and I am, now is the time he NEEDS to hear your disagreement. You’re not a better supporter if you just agree with everything. You’re a chump. https://t.co/2kDdrYi20a — Jesse Kelly (@JesseKellyDC) April 23, 2020

He’s not “getting it from all sides”. The ONLY people wanting to open are the unemployed and about 10 pundits on the Right. Virtually everyone else is telling him to keep it locked. I’ve been out of work. I care about 30 million people who can’t pay bills enough to speak up. https://t.co/GQIcIdVQBu — Jesse Kelly (@JesseKellyDC) April 23, 2020

Trump voters were the “silent majority” last time because we live in a shame society and many didn’t want to admit they’re voting for him. I’m telling you all right now, the new “silent majority” is people FURIOUS about these lockdowns. You should see my emails. https://t.co/wsOBbRwFpv — Jesse Kelly (@JesseKellyDC) April 23, 2020

The very thought of this makes me throw up in my mouth. I want four more years of what Trump has done. But 50,000 votes are the reason you don’t have President Hillary. If you think 30 million unemployed people doesn’t risk those 50k flipping sides, you’re a moron. https://t.co/eQtiMwYGLV — Jesse Kelly (@JesseKellyDC) April 23, 2020

H/T: Greg P. Twitchy



MBA, former financial consultant, options trader

Mom of three grown children, grandmother

Email Elizabeth at



Writer at RedStateMBA, former financial consultant, options traderMom of three grown children, grandmotherEmail Elizabeth at [email protected] Read more by Elizabeth Vaughn