Georgia Governor Brian Kemp's decision to begin reopening the state's economy as soon as tomorrow without any plans in place for widescale testing or infection contact tracing should have pleased Dear Leader Trump, right?
It did, at least initially.
Trump came out against Kemp's decision during yesterday's press briefing and while that surprised me, it must have been an even bigger surprise to Kemp himself. CNN reports that Trump called Kemp and praised his decision on Tuesday night before publicly opposing it on Wednesday.
(CNN) -- President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence both called Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp on Tuesday night and expressed support and praise for the Republican's move to reopen businesses in his state starting Friday, a source familiar with the call said. Trump later said the opposite -- that he told Kemp he disagreed "strongly" with the decision. [...]
Trump and Pence complimented Kemp on his performance as Georgia governor, the source said. Another person familiar with the call said it went well.
But the President said during Wednesday's news conference that he told Kemp he disagreed "strongly" with the governor's decision to reopen some businesses in his state.
Now, because Trump came out against Kemp's decision, some congressional Republicans are rushing to Trump's side.
Representative Doug Collins (R-GA) appeared on Fox News this morning where he also spoke out of both sides of his mouth.
The GOP congressman's harsh assessment represented a rebuke of his Republican governor and signaled Collins' intention to instead side with President Donald Trump — who disavowed Kemp's plan Wednesday after previously expressing support for states reopening for business.
"The president wants the country open. I want the country open. The governor wants the country open. The problem is, how do you do it? And I think that's the problem with leadership," Collins told "Fox & Friends."
Yes, there's a "problem with leadership" here.
If by some miracle, Georgia does not see a wider outbreak linked to reopening businesses tomorrow, Trump could just as easily turn around and claim he supported Kemp's decision all along. He may even claim it was his idea.
Everyone who works with Trump is eventually humiliated.