Ben Carson Replaced Health Secretary Azar At Wednesday’s Coronavirus Briefing

WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES - MARCH 4, 2020:Dr. Ben Carson, United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, speaking at the Coronavirus Task Force press conference.
WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES - MARCH 4, 2020: Dr. Ben Carson, United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, speaking at the Coronavirus Task Force press conference.- PHOTOGRAPH BY Michael Brochstein / Ec... WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES - MARCH 4, 2020: Dr. Ben Carson, United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, speaking at the Coronavirus Task Force press conference.- PHOTOGRAPH BY Michael Brochstein / Echoes WIre/ Barcroft Studios / Future Publishing (Photo credit should read Michael Brochstein / Echoes Wire/Barcroft Media via Getty Images) MORE LESS
Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

There was a noticeable absence on stage Wednesday when members of the White House Coronavirus Task Force gave a press conference: Health Secretary Alexander Azar.

According to Politico, that wasn’t an accident: Vice President Mike Pence asked Azar not to attend the briefing. A spokesperson for Pence told Politico, in the publication’s words, that “officials wanted to make room on stage for Ben Carson,” the Housing secretary. A spokesperson for Azar said simply that the task force members would be “rotating through as necessary” in the group’s daily briefings.

At first, Azar was the top Trump administration official leading the White House’s task force. Then, at a press conference last week, Trump said Vice President Mike Pence would be leading the effort — reportedly to Azar’s surprise. Pence has since brought on Dr. Deborah Birx, an AIDS expert, as another point person.

During the briefing Wednesday, in which various task force members commented on the state of the public health crisis, Pence did most of the talking.

Carson, a famed neurosurgeon before his career in conservative politics, spoke only briefly. He praised the task force’s work, emphasized that the risk posed by the virus to a healthy adult “still remains quite low,” and gave a shout out to the pharmaceutical industry.

“The pharmaceuticals, who normally are rivals, have worked together voluntarily,” he said. “Wouldn’t that be a great lesson to the politicians.”

Azar also didn’t accompany Vice President Mike Pence Thursday when Pence traveled to Minnesota and Washington state, the latter of which is home to dozens of confirmed coronavirus cases. Instead, Azar and others briefed legislators and spoke to members of the media, at times fielding intense questions about the administration’s lack of preparation for the outbreak.

Latest News

Notable Replies

  1. He’s a neurosurgeon…he knows everything.

  2. So… let me see if I understand this… the guy tRump put in charge as Secretary of Health and Human services, gives way to the guy who tRump put in charge as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, and we are supposed to be impressed?

    It doesn’t take a brain surgeon to know that tRump is delusional, and his only goal is to profit off his presidency

  3. I feel more and more relieved…

  4. They’re just putting their own necks in the noose. Unbelievable. This is the policy equivalent of defying the gods. No good can possibly come of it.

  5. Secretary Doctor Carson looks mostly awake - should get credit for that.

Continue the discussion at forums.talkingpointsmemo.com

287 more replies

Participants

Avatar for ghost Avatar for littlegirlblue Avatar for mattinpa Avatar for imkmu3 Avatar for trnc Avatar for rollinnolan Avatar for sparrowhawk Avatar for ralph_vonholst Avatar for gr Avatar for left_in_washington_state Avatar for esva Avatar for leftcoaster Avatar for darrtown Avatar for tena Avatar for jonney_5 Avatar for tsp Avatar for asturcot Avatar for maximus Avatar for rascal_crone Avatar for haddockbranzini Avatar for filmknight Avatar for dogselfie Avatar for Hatmama Avatar for Psych

Continue Discussion
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Deputy Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: