Donald Trump reportedly cut back on briefings after making his ridiculous comments last week about ingesting disinfectants to cure coronavirus. So, no one was surprised when today’s briefing was canceled. But only a short time later, word arrives that that he would hold a “press conference” after all. The Hill writes:
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said on Fox News that Trump would hold a press availability during a meeting with industry executives scheduled for Monday afternoon instead of holding a briefing. McEnany also insisted there was not an effort to cut back on briefings while also suggesting the president may appear less frequently at them. She said the task force would brief the media later this week.
“We’re looking at different ways to showcase this president leading,” she said on Fox News.
But just a short time after that appearance, the new press secretary changed her story on Twitter.
Meanwhile, as the coronavirus death toll in the U.S. rises to almost 55,000, over the last couple of days the president has instead communicated via Twitter where he is bashing the media and Democrats. No talk about the deaths or testing.
But the American people do benefit greatly when there are updates from true experts such as infectious disease specialist Dr. Anthony Fauci. While Trump is clearly dodging the briefings, perhaps the White House should consider just letting members of the coronavirus task force present true findings, scientific results, and realistic plans for moving forward.
It would also be nice to have someone actually show some sympathy for the victims of coronavirus and their families. The Washington Post says over the past 21 days the president has spent under 5 minutes addressing victims:
Over the past three weeks, the tally comes to more than 13 hours of Trump — including two hours spent on attacks and 45 minutes praising himself and his administration, but just 4½ minutes expressing condolences for coronavirus victims.
*This post contains opinion and analysis