The nation has been mired in uncertainty for several weeks now due to the (now official) COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic. Americans are worried about their health and the health of their loved ones. And the economy is in a tailspin that was triggered by the pandemic news. But one thing that has been confirmed during this crisis is that Donald Trump is the most ignorant, self-obsessed, ill-prepared, and insensitive leader this country has ever had.

UPDATE: The Dow futures dropped 800 POINTS during and after Trump's COVID-19 Oval Office speech.

While most Americans are struggling to cope with the rush of bad news, Trump is struggling to lather himself with praise, diminish the risks, and cast blame on his numerous perceived enemies. His desperation is unmistakable as his outbursts become ever more incoherent.

On Wednesday morning he fired off a flurry of panic-tweets that put these fears on display. In one tweet he bragged that "America is the Greatest Country in the world," as if that sort of chest-thumping would frighten off the virus. In another he wrote that he's working to "create a vaccine," which in reality will take 12-18 months. In yet another, he blamed the Democrats in Congress for politicizing the virus, which is pure projection. But perhaps the most bizarre and revealing of his tweets was this:

x Vanity Fair Magazine, which will soon be out of business, and their third rate Fake reporters, who make up sources which donÃ¢ÂÂt exist, wrote yet another phony & boring hit piece. The facts are just the opposite. Our team is doing a great job with CoronaVirus! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 11, 2020

Notice that Trump doesn't bother explain what he's whining about? He just unleashes his hostility and expects his glassy-eyed disciples to nod their heads in unison and agree. For the record, Trump is referring to this Vanity Fair article by Gabriel Sherman: "He's Definitely Melting Down Over This”: Trump, Germaphobe in Chief, Struggles to Control the Covid-19 Story." The article cites several sources within the administration who express concerns about Trump's faltering mental state. They worry that he is losing faith in his own team. For example, he just fired chief of staff Mick Mulvaney and replaced him with former Rep. Mark Meadows (who is now self-quarantined because he came in contact with someone who tested positive at CPAC).

Trump's psychosis prevents him from being able to deal with any situation wherein he doesn't feel he is in control. And, of course, he cannot control a virus. So in public he resorts to frantic boasting and overt lies about how brilliant and effective he is. But in private he is said to be harboring acute paranoid fears. For example, Sherman's sources tell him that...

"Stories about Trump’s coronavirus fears have spread through the White House. Last week Trump told aides he’s afraid journalists will try to purposefully contract coronavirus to give it to him on Air Force One, a person close to the administration told me. The source also said Trump has asked the Secret Service to set up a screening program and bar anyone who has a cough from the White House grounds. 'He’s definitely melting down over this,' the source said."

So Trump thinks journalists are plotting to assassinate him with a virus. It's hard to convey just how insane that is. For one thing, couldn't they have done that two years ago? Trump is coming undone. Even his attack on Vanity Fair is evidence of derangement. However, it's derangement that he has suffered from for years. This isn't the first time that Trump has predicted the death of Vanity Fair:



Oct 3, 2011: Sadly, Vanity Fair is a rapidly dying magazine.

Apr 9, 2012: Vanity Fair Magazine, which used to be one of my favorites, is failing badly.

May 24, 2013: Read this & you will understand why Vanity Fair is going down the tubes.

Dec 8, 2013: Vanity Fair Magazine won't be around much longer, it's really in bad shape!

Dec 28, 2017: Vanity Fair, which looks like it is on its last legs.

Apr 9, 2012: Vanity Fair Magazine, which used to be one of my favorites, is failing badly. May 24, 2013: Read this & you will understand why Vanity Fair is going down the tubes. Dec 8, 2013: Vanity Fair Magazine won't be around much longer, it's really in bad shape! Dec 28, 2017: Vanity Fair, which looks like it is on its last legs.



And it's not just Vanity Fair. Trump has predicted the end of the New York Times on 39 separate occasions (Here's one example). And then there's this:



Jun 26, 2019: CNN is dead as a door nail (no credibility), and MSNBC is dying fast.

Dec 12, 2019: Fake News like CNN & MSNBC are dying.

Dec 14, 2019: Both Commiecast MSNBC & Fake News CNN are watching their Ratings TANK. .... Don’t know why @FoxNews wants to be more like them? They’ll all die together.

Jan 28, 2020: So, what the hell has happened to @FoxNews. Only I know! ... Watch, this will be the beginning of the end for Fox.

Feb 25, 2020: CNN & MSDNC are dying in the ratings!

Dec 12, 2019: Fake News like CNN & MSNBC are dying. Dec 14, 2019: Both Commiecast MSNBC & Fake News CNN are watching their Ratings TANK. .... Don’t know why @FoxNews wants to be more like them? They’ll all die together. Jan 28, 2020: So, what the hell has happened to @FoxNews. Only I know! ... Watch, this will be the beginning of the end for Fox. Feb 25, 2020: CNN & MSDNC are dying in the ratings!



At precisely the moment that America needs a steady hand guiding the course for the nation, we are stuck with a demonstrably demented character whose narcissism and paranoia are likely to result in far more misfortune than would otherwise be the case if a sane person were president. So for the time being the American people are going to have to rely on themselves and each other. Because the maniac occupying the White House is a basket case who can't discern reality from the nightmares his mania manufactures. Good luck everyone.