Jon Chait raises a good question: Will Trump withhold aid from states that "don't like him?"
It should come as no surprise that Covid-19 is spreading faster in urban settings and that NYC (and apparently New Orleans) are the main hotspots early in the pandemic. (I have to say I'm curious/impressed at how low the numbers are in California.) There is no greater divide in America right now than rural/urban. It accounts for how profound our partisan divide is. Again, we are looking at a cultural/identity issue more than any true ideological issue. Don't believe me? Look at the Senate bill.
Because Covid-19 is more likely to damage cities, Trump is less likely to pay attention to it. His desire to "get back to normal" is rooted in his personal narcissism about how city people hate him and his cultural loyalty to his rural/exurban/evangelical voters.
Sadly for those who believe in karma, Covid-19 is frankly unlikely to impact Mississippi the way it will Memphis or New Orleans, no matter what dumbass shit the Governor does.
Unless the aggressive contrarianism of rural conservatives leads them to so flagrantly flout health recommendations that Covid-19 suddenly blossoms along the Bible Belt, the relative death toll in cities and the countryside is going to justify some horrible prejudices from white rural voters.
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