We begin on Friday, July 31st, President Trump tells reporters he plans to ban the Chinese-owned social media app, TikTok, from the United States. The remark comes after the House and Senate made moves to ban the video-sharing app from government phones.
Skipping ahead to Sunday, August 2nd, President Trump gives Microsoft the go-ahead to purchase TikTok from its Chinese parent company Bytedance, thus rendering a ban in the United States obsolete. Trump says the video-sharing social media app will be shut down on Sept. 15th unless it’s purchased by Microsoft or another company.
Monday, August 3rd, President Trump threatens Nevada with legal action over Governor Stephen Sisolak (D) implementing a law to expand mail-in ballot access to all registered voters in the state.
HBO later airs Trump’s sitdown interview with Axios reporter Jonathan Swan, where he’s asked about the administration’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic, leading to this exchange.
Trump, when presented with South Korea’s low coronavirus death totals: “You don’t know that.”
.@jonathanvswan: “You think they’re faking their statistics? South Korea, an advanced country?”
Trump: “I won’t get into that because I have a very good relationship with the country.” pic.twitter.com/oir9lv6nfP
— Axios (@axios) August 5, 2020
Tuesday, August 4th, President Trump signs the overwhelmingly bipartisan legislation Great American Outdoors Act into law, which devotes $3 billion a year to conservation projects, outdoor recreation, and the maintenance of national parks and public lands. Later, Trump gives his blessing to Florida to expand mail-in ballot access, tweeting that their “election system is Safe and Secure, Tried and True.”
Trump’s tweet comes a day after threatening to sue Nevada for expanding mail-in ballot access. Politics obviously play a factor here, especially since Trump switched his permanent residence to Florida in 2019.
Meanwhile, following a massive explosion in Beirut, Lebanon that killed over 135 people and wounded thousands more, President Trump tells reporters that U.S. military officials advised him that it appeared to be an “attack.”
Wednesday, August 5th, Trump walks back his claim that the massive explosion in Beirut was the result of an attack caused by a bomb. Lebanese officials state that a large stockpile of confiscated ammonium nitrate caused the giant blast and mushroom cloud.
While the initial cause of the incident is still being investigated, Germany’s geosciences center GFZ reported that the force of the blast was equivalent to a 3.5 magnitude earthquake. Additionally, it was heard and felt by the Mediterranean island country of Cyprus, which is more than 180 miles away.
Thursday, August 6th, President Trump travels to Cleveland, Ohio to tour a manufacturing plant, hold a fundraiser, and meet with Gov. Mike DeWine. However, before his visit, DeWine tests positive for coronavirus, making him the second governor in the United States to test positive for the virus after Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt.
Later, Trump signs an executive order banning TikTok in the United States. The order, which takes effect in mid-September, outlaws transactions between TikTok’s parent company, Bytedance, and U.S. citizens due to national security concerns.
Even though Trump didn’t promote a doctor’s conspiracy theory about coronavirus, his self-contradictory remarks about mail-in voting between the states of Nevada and Florida have become the latest issue that’s ailing him. With more states expanding mail-in ballot access, Trump might just have to accept the fact that most of the country will be voting remotely this year.
