A stunning moment in the Rose Garden Friday afternoon, not for what happened, as much as for what didn’t. The White House told media to gather for a news conference from Donald Trump. Reporters were told he would talk about China, but we also told he’d likely address the death of George Floyd and perhaps the deaths of more than 101,000 people due to coronavirus. But that didn’t happen. The president spoke for under 10 minutes, exclusively about China and their relationship with the World Health Organization and their actions in Hong Kong. After concluding his statement, Trump turned his back and walked back into the White House without taking one question.

After the statement, MSNBC’s Chuck Todd remarked:

“I got to ask, is the president afraid to lead right now? He just seems… to not engage at all, I just — that seemed like he was afraid of this. He doesn’t know what to say and we’re struggling as a country right now and that’s — no matter what you think — the President of the United States can’t bring himself to say anything about a midwestern city that’s smoldering. The country is hungry for leadership. Hungry for it. They want clarity. They want clarity when it comes to this pandemic. What should I do? Should i wear a mask? What rules do I need to follow?” 

https://twitter.com/kathrynw5/status/1266444720546279424

We are left to believe that Donald Trump’s tweets are the end of the matter for him.  They speak for themselves.

Trump said the U.S. would end its relationship with the World Health Organization and roll back the special trade status with Hong Kong.

https://twitter.com/NPR/status/1266451347219644416?s=20