First Responders Plead for Trump Administration to Prioritize Them for Coronavirus Tests

If you’re like me, it feels like the coronavirus pandemic just straight exposed all the failings of our current systems. You would think being caught with their pants down would spur the Trump administration to be more proactive about, well, everything. Apparently not, though.

The Trump administration spent the last week deferring blame, proposing questionable medical treatments and basically telling states “That sucks, b. Hope y’all figure out what to do.” The lack of action has even gotten first responders upset as ABC News reports that on a recent call with Trump officials, they bluntly told them “Stop testing NBA players, and start testing our first responders.” I’d like to present a third option: Why not both? In fact, why not everybody?

We need to pump these numbers up (through testing, not going outside like an asshole, Kyle) so that we can know where COVID-19 is and be more effective in stopping transmission—you know, like that other constitutional democracy with a predominantly capitalist system, South Korea. Seriously, they have phone booths for testing and we’re out here with community spread still talking about some, “Well unless you knowingly came in contact with someone or went to China, you can’t get tested.”

The pandemic has had the strange side effect of police officers not arresting people to avoid catching the virus but still trying to enforce the law. You know, I really thought that in the dystopian world where a pandemic breaks out with a narcissistic oligarch at the helm, policing would get stricter, not looser. Who would’ve thought the opposite? It’s honestly kind of funny that the “law and order” president isn’t doing more for the group he so desperately courted in his bid to get elected.