President Trump appears to be growing tired of his own plan to combat the coronavirus.
We’re seven days into Trump’s 15-day social distancing plan and the President is reportedly not only having second thoughts about efforts to tamp down the spread of the virus, but also appears to be more concerned about the impact his initial plan will have on the economy. Trump announced his 15-day isolation proposal last Monday. Just three days later, he was reportedly already considering ways to phase out his plan, Bloomberg News reported.
That report, coupled with Trump’s late-night, all-caps tweet about not letting the “CURE BE WORSE THAT THE PROBLEM ITSELF,” point to a weariness over the hits his task force’s approach is taking on the economy.
And that paranoia is already manifesting itself in the White House’s handling of the crisis. Instead of holding it’s daily press briefing on the outbreak in the morning, the White House is holding it at 5:30 p.m. ET Monday, notably after the markets close for the day.
Here’s more on that and other stories we’re following:
What The Investigations Team Is Watching
Anthony Fauci, the government’s top infectious disease expert gave an interview to Science Magazine on Sunday in which he lamented the difficulties of communicating the most basic health information to the public under the Trump presidency. Matt Shuham is digging into that interview this morning.
What The Breaking News Team Is Watching
Trump tweeted last night that media outlets are “destroying themselves” by covering him in a negative light, a potentially alarming comment given his previous threat to “destroy” NBC owner Comcast’s “image.” Trump’s attacks on the media have significantly increased in recent days, culminating when he lashed out at an MSNBC reporter on Friday for asking a question about scared Americans. We’ll keep an eye on this.
On Monday morning, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams warned that the coronavirus outbreak is “going to get bad” as early as this week. His grim warning came after Rep. Ben McAdams (D-UT) became the first member of Congress to get hospitalized for COVID-19.
Today’s Rundown
12:30 p.m. ET: Trump and the vice president will have lunch
5:30 p.m. ET: The White House Coronavirus task force will hold a briefing — notably after the markets close for the day.
Yesterday’s Most Read Story
An Unexpected COVID-19 Hotspot Emerges In The Colorado Rockies — Matt Shuham
What We Are Reading
The Struggle Of Sobriety In Isolation — A.J. Daulerio
At New York Prison, Harvey Weinstein Put In Isolation After Contracting Virus — Joe Mahoney
The Places A COVID-19 Recession Will Likely Hit Hardest — Mark Muro, Robert Maxim and Jacob Whiton
