Administration Latched Onto Model That Predicted Far Rosier Outbreak Outcome Than Most Others
The University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation projected as few as 60,000 American deaths and a tapering off of the outbreak at the end of April. The Trump administration's response was shaped in part by the more optimistic forecast--and exposes the vulnerability that comes with relying on any one model to predict the future. Meanwhile, media outlets dissect President Donald Trump's statements during his press briefings even as he announces he'll be paring them back.
Politico:
How Overly Optimistic Modeling Distorted Trump Team’s Coronavirus Response
As coronavirus cases climbed daily by the thousands and the nation entered its second month of an economic standstill, President Donald Trump latched onto a sign of hope: A pandemic model closely followed by political leaders and public health specialists projected the virus would kill as few as 60,000 Americans, a figure far below what officials previously feared. The new April forecast signaled the worst would soon be over, with some states effectively ending their bout with coronavirus as early as the end of the month. (Cancryn, 4/24)
Politico:
Trump Skips Briefing Amid Fears Of Overexposure
President Donald Trump skipped his daily coronavirus briefing on Saturday, amid concerns among Republicans and White House advisers that his near-constant presence on television is diminishing his standing and could sabotage his reelection campaign. Trump, who has been criticized for a series of missteps in his handling of the coronavirus crisis, has seen public approval of his performance during the pandemic drop in recent weeks and his poll numbers slip in key battleground states. (Murray, 4/25)
The New York Times:
260,000 Words, Full Of Self-Praise, From Trump On The Virus
At his White House news briefing on the coronavirus on March 19, President Trump offered high praise for the commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, Stephen Hahn. “He’s worked, like, probably as hard or harder than anybody,” Mr. Trump said. Then he corrected himself: “Other than maybe Mike Pence — or me.” On March 27, Mr. Trump boasted about marshaling federal resources to fight the virus, ignoring his early failures and smearing previous administrations. “Nobody has done anything like we’ve been able to do,” he claimed. “And everything I took over was a mess. It was a broken country in so many ways. In so many ways.” (Peters, Plott and Haberman, 4/26)
The Washington Post:
Trump Fills Briefings With Attacks And Boasts, But Little Empathy
President Trump strode to the lectern in the White House briefing room Thursday and, for just over an hour, attacked his rivals, dismissing Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden as a “sleepy guy in a basement of a house” and lambasting the media as “fake news” and “lamestream.” He showered praise on himself and his team, repeatedly touting the “great job” they were doing as he spoke of the “tremendous progress” being made toward a vaccine and how “phenomenally” the nation was faring in terms of mortality. (Bump and Parker, 4/26)
Politico:
The Noble Art Of Sarcasm: Trump Replaces Coronavirus Briefing With Tweets
The day of his wife’s birthday, President Donald Trump decided to forgo a coronavirus briefing — but he didn’t log out of his Twitter account. Sunday was the second straight day Trump had not participated in a White House coronavirus briefing — the task force held a meeting Saturday but no briefing — amid speculation that his extended appearances in those daily events were taking a toll on his approval ratings. The president has clashed with members of the press during those briefings, and, as he had Saturday, he offered stinging rebukes via Twitter of the media for its coverage of the current crisis and his presidency. (Dugyala, 4/26)
Politico:
Trump Looks To Hope Hicks As Coronavirus Crisis Spills Over
Returning to the West Wing just a month after impeachment, one of President Donald Trump’s closest advisers found a presidency in crisis: a deadly disease outbreak, a tumbling stock market and a White House struggling to form a clear message about how it was confronting a quickly escalating threat. For Hope Hicks, it marked a challenge unlike any other — trying to develop a communications strategy for the president to carry with a wartime footing in an election year. (Cook and McGraw, 4/27)
The Washington Post:
Trump Expands Battle With WHO Far Beyond Aid Suspension
President Trump and his top aides are working behind the scenes to sideline the World Health Organization on several fronts as they seek to shift blame for the novel coronavirus pandemic to the world body, according to U.S. and foreign officials involved in the discussions. Last week, the president announced a 60-day hold on U.S. money to the WHO, but other steps by his top officials go beyond a temporary funding freeze, raising concerns about the permanent weakening of the organization amid a rapidly spreading crisis. (Hudson, Dawsey and Mehennet, 4/25)
Reuters:
U.S. Response To Virus Splinters Into Acrimony And Uncertainty
Six weeks after U.S. President Donald Trump declared a national emergency over the spreading new coronavirus, the United States is deeply divided over the correct economic and health response. (Schneider, 4/26)
NPR:
Americans Are Generally Skeptical Of Government, But Want It To Intervene In A Crisis
Americans are generally skeptical of too much government intervention. Over the last three decades, the number of people saying they want the government to do less usually outnumbers those saying they want it to do more, according to Gallup. The times when that hasn't been true or when that gap has shrunk have roughly coincided with times of national crisis. However, over the last several years, those saying government should do more to solve the country's problems has crept up to almost being on par with those saying government is doing too much. (Montanaro, 4/27)
ABC News:
Amid Pandemic, Country Lacks National Leadership: Sen. Amy Klobuchar
Amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, the country is suffering from a lack of national leadership in the White House, said Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who has been actively campaigning for former Vice President Joe Biden. "Like every state in the country, George, we are suffering from one important thing, and that is a lack of national strategy," Klobuchar told ABC News Chief Anchor George Stephanopoulos. "You know, we can tune out this president’s rants about chugging bleach, but we can't tune out the fact that we have a lack of protective equipment, that we do not have enough testing." (Cunningham, 4/26)
