In the Trump administration, officials are more likely to dig their heels into errors than admit any level of wrongdoing.
Not to give him too much credit, but Vice President Mike Pence did admit during last night’s highly performative Fox News town hall set directly in front of the Lincoln Memorial, that he should have worn a mask during his recent visit to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. The images of the vice president and leader of the White House’s coronavirus task force bare faced in a clinic that mandates mask-wearing were shocking and evoked expected criticism.
The backlash clearly registered with Pence’s team. The next day, Pence was photographed wearing a mask during his tour of the General Motors Plant in Kokomo, Indiana. When asked to address the criticism on Sunday evening, Pence still said he didn’t think the face covering was “necessary,” but, “I should have worn a mask at the Mayo Clinic,” he said.
It shouldn’t have to be worth noting that a member of the administration owned up to an irresponsible action, but alas, this is the Trump-era.
Here’s more on that and other stories we’re following today:
What The Investigations Team Is Watching
Tierney Sneed reported this morning on the Justice Department’s decision to get involved in these cases sprouting up around the country in which churches are attempting to hold services amid stay-at-home orders. She is now looking into what the DOJ can actually accomplish in this fight and the likelihood that the efforts will be more bark than bite.
Josh Kovensky is reporting on the CDC’s latest attempt to track and calculate excessive deaths so the actual toll of the pandemic is more widely understood.
What The Breaking News Team Is Watching
Trump took his self-pity to an entirely new level on Sunday night, claiming that he was being treated worse than Abraham Lincoln, the president who was famously assassinated after abolishing slavery. “They always said nobody got treated worse than Lincoln. I believe I am treated worse,” Trump complained during a virtual Fox News town hall at the Lincoln Memorial. During the same town hall, Trump bumped up his estimated COVID-19 death toll in the U.S. to 100,000, double the previous 50,000 figure he’d put forth in early April.
If You Read Anything On COVID-19 Today, Read This
Josh Kovensky wrote about a new government document, obtained by the New York Times, that reportedly projects the U.S. will see 3,000 deaths from COVID-19 per day by June 1.
Earlier COVID-19 death toll coverage:
- Trump Abandons Bogus COVID Death Toll Projection, Now Admits It Could Hit 100K
- CDC Releases Detailed National Excess Death Data
- Newly Revealed COVID Death Is Last Nail In Coffin Of Trump’s Failed China Ban
Today’s Rundown
Trump has nothing on his public schedule today.
Yesterday’s Most Read Story
Mississippi Guv Has Second Thoughts About Stay-At-Home Order Lift After Sharp Rise In COVID-19 Cases — Cristina Cabrera
What We Are Reading
Charmaine McGuffey Demolishes Jim Neil With 70% In Hamilton County Sheriff’s Race — Howard Wilkinson
‘Where Is The Rest Of My Laundry??’ — Alex Norcia
3 Hospital Workers Gave Out Masks. Weeks Later, They All Were Dead. — Nicole Hong
