Although it was a bit comical, Biden's tweet was also a necessary warning. Trump's impossibly stupid proposal nonetheless sent public health officials, disinfectant makers, and news outlets alike scurrying to prevent potential loss of life. On Friday, after receiving several calls about disinfectant use, the Maryland Emergency Management Agency sent out both English- and Spanish-language alerts directing that "under no circumstances" should disinfectant be injected or ingested. NBC's San Francisco Bay Area affiliate similarly warned, "We're sure you know this already, but do not inject disinfectants and do not drink bleach to try and treat coronavirus."

It's yet another case that would be hilarious if it weren't so deadly serious. The nation was just digging out from under Trump’s last lie to produce deadly results after a study of the Trump-promoted drug hydroxychloroquine found it actually increased the death rates of COVID-19 patients. Outcomes of using the drug were so bad, in fact, that a separate study of its medicinal effects was cut short. (Vanity Fair dropped a blockbuster report Friday evening about the administration’s bonkers behind-the-scenes push to "flood" the New York and New Jersey markets with chloroquine.)

But two brushes in one week with needlessly killing people wasn't enough for Trump. At the White House briefing Wednesday, Trump also tried to sell the nation on the idea that a second-wave resurgence of the virus would be easily contained and may not happen "at all." Trump was upset that his own CDC director had been quoted saying a second-wave of coronavirus this fall could actually be worse if it happened in tandem with the regular flu season. But after Trump’s attempt at rebutting that very real possibility, the administration’s highest profile infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, directly contradicted his boss's magical thinking later in the briefing.

"We will have coronavirus in the fall," Fauci said. "I am convinced of that because of the degree of transmissibility that it has, the global nature. What happens with that will depend on how we’re able to contain it when it occurs."

Trump's specific efforts this week to bump up the national death rate, however, don't even come close to accounting for the thousands of lives already lost due to his unflagging incompetence and the future cost of his reckless push to reopen the country. As I noted a couple weeks ago, the spectacle of the White House briefings and Trump's dominant presence there has turned into more of a millstone around his neck than a lifeline.

Taken together, Trump's mind-boggling months-long display of unfitness for office serves as a backdrop to an encouraging series of polls this week showing Biden with a decisive edge over Trump in key swing states. The surveys included those conducted by liberal-leaning Public Policy Polling, Reuters/Ipsos, and the Republican pollster Political Polls, with some even recording a notable increase just within the last several weeks.

Here's the results of the PPP survey:

Michigan: Biden leads Trump 51-44 (+7)

Pennsylvania: Biden leads Trump 51-44 (+7)

Wisconsin: Biden leads Trump 50-45 (+5)

North Carolina: Biden leads Trump 49-46 (+3)

The survey also found very low support for the anti-lockdown protests pushed by Trump (24% in Wisconsin but closer to 20% in every other state) and even less support for relaxing social distancing measures. The approval of the governors' handling of the crisis in these states is also much higher than Trump's by about 20 points or more. (North Carolina's Gov. Roy Cooper does 43 points better on the high end, while Wisconsin's Gov. Tony Evers does 19 points better on the low end.)

What those numbers all add up to is the fact that Trump's main pushes right now (reopening/LIBERATE) attract the backing of a fringe minority of the public. Meanwhile, the Democratic governors of these states who are making serious efforts to save lives and protect against a virus resurgence are getting far more support than Trump.

Along similar lines, the Republican group Political Polls found that in Wisconsin, Biden had gained about 9 points on Trump since March, giving Biden a solid 5-point edge in the important state that helped contribute to Trump’s surprise win in 2016.

Wisconsin April March Biden 50 45 (+5) Trump 45 49 (-4)

This week's Reuters/Ipsos poll rounded out the findings, giving Biden a 3-point edge among registered voters in Wisconsin, a 6-point advantage in Pennsylvania, and an even more decisive 8-point lead in Michigan.

Even in Florida—the biggest must-get of all must-get states for Trump—two polls this week showed Biden besting Trump. Quinnipiac found Sunshine State voters favored Biden 46%-42%, while Fox News polling showed a 46%-43% advantage for Biden.

All of these polls are buttressed by House and Senate Democrats logging a massive first-quarter advantage in both big-dollar and small-dollar donations, suggesting a similar level of Democratic enthusiasm to the 2018 midterms. On top of that, Trump's approval rating is continuing to deflate after a very modest several-point bump in the last half of March.

Although it’s early, in effect, all signs are pointing in the same direction—toward Democrats reclaiming the White House and maybe even more. And while some of Biden’s gains are likely due to Democratic consolidation now that it’s really down to just him and Trump, some of his uptick also appears to be attributable to how badly Trump is sucking all on his own. Biden is barely getting any airtime, but Trump just seems to dig a deeper hole for himself daily brief by daily brief while offering Americans zero indication that he has any idea how traumatized and desperate they are right now.

Understandably, alarm is also infiltrating Republican circles. Fresh reporting in the New York Times Saturday morning noted that "nervous Republicans" are watching Trump crater and worrying he'll take the Senate majority with him. Good riddance—couldn't happen to a more deserving group of conscienceless cowards. Even Trump seemed to have gotten a mild whiff of realism this week following disinfectant-gate. At the Friday White House briefing, he exited quickly and without taking any questions. Saturday's White House press schedule included no mention of a briefing whatsoever.

Trump will be back, but his brief silence is certainly a welcome reprieve—not to mention a literal lifesaver.