FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, August 27, 2020
CONTACT: press@iowademocrats.org
On The Day Donald Trump Accepts Republican Nomination, Iowa COVID Cases Break New Record and Unemployment Numbers Spike
DES MOINES — As Trump prepares to accept the Republican nomination at the RNC tonight, the IDPH reported 1,475 new cases of coronavirus and 18 deaths in one day alone. While GOP leaders like Governor Reynolds and Senator Ernst have spent the week lauding Trump’s chaotic mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic and refusal to offer aid to Iowa’s homeowners and farmers after the derecho, Iowans at home are struggling more than ever.
Today’s report is the largest single-day increase in cases since the pandemic began — and it comes at the same time that unemployment claims are spiking, up 16% from last week. The rise in out-of-work Iowans is propelled by the damage from the derecho, where Trump is still denying individual assistance aid to Iowans in 26 of the 27 counties hit hardest.
“Trump accepting the Republican nomination from the White House on the same day that COVID-19 cases and unemployment claims are hitting record highs paints a clear picture: Trump is failing Iowans when it comes to leadership and solutions,” said IDP spokesperson Samantha Kennedy. “Iowans are suffering the compounding consequences of Trump’s mishandling of the pandemic, historic recession, and unfulfilled derecho response. Yet the GOP in Washington is only turning a blind eye, running from their records with their tone-deaf celebrations of four years of leaving Iowans behind.”
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