Mother Jones Illustration; Shuttershock
This post was originally published as part of “The Trump Files“—a collection of telling episodes, strange but true stories, and curious scenes from the life of our current president—on October 21, 2016.
Donald is a famous germophobe who hates shaking hands so much that he called the practice “one of the curses of American society” in one of his books. “I happen to be a clean-hands freak,” he told The Hill earlier this year. So it’s no wonder that the Ebola outbreak of 2014 appealed to him on at least one level.
Something very important, and indeed society changing, may come out of the Ebola epidemic that will be a very good thing: NO SHAKING HANDS!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 4, 2014
When Donald wasn’t heralding the imminent worldwide demise of hand-shaking, though, he was having an epic, monthslong Twitter freakout over the Ebola scare.
Ebola patient will be brought to the U.S. in a few days – now I know for sure that our leaders are incompetent. KEEP THEM OUT OF HERE!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 1, 2014
The U.S. must immediately stop all flights from EBOLA infected countries or the plague will start and spread inside our “borders.” Act fast!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 2, 2014
We must immediately stop all air traffic coming from the Ebola infected areas of Africa—before it is too late.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 16, 2014
How dumb is our president to send thousands of poorly trained and ill-equipped soldiers over to West Africa to fight Ebola. Stop all flights
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 1, 2014
This Ebola patient Thomas Duncan, who fraudulently entered the U.S. by signing false papers, is causing havoc. If he lives, prosecute!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 4, 2014
A single Ebola carrier infects 2 others at a minimum. STOP THE FLIGHTS! NO VISAS FROM EBOLA STRICKEN COUNTRIES!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 10, 2014
Needless to say, the United States would be well equipped to calmly handle any medical emergencies under a Trump administration.
