Aides Defend Trump As Book Revelations Shake Campaign, Public Views
White House officials try to control the damage from President Donald Trump's recorded interviews for Bob Woodward's new book, which reveal he was aware of the severity COVID-19 in early the months but didn't tell the public. Health and science experts voice their alarm over the president's actions.
Politico:
Trump Team Says History Will Vindicate Him On Coronavirus
President Donald Trump’s allies on Sunday blamed anybody but him for his handling of the deadly virus that has killed more than 193,000 Americans. In interviews across the morning political talk shows, Trump officials portrayed the president as a calm leader throughout the pandemic and singled out China, corporate media — including CNN and Jake Tapper, specifically — and Democrats for what they asserted was lying and politicizing the coronavirus. (McCaskill, 9/13)
The Hill:
White House Adviser Says Trump Was 'Straightforward' On Coronavirus When Pressed On Woodward Interview
White House trade adviser Peter Navarro dismissed concerns on Sunday that President Trump was purposely downplaying the threat of the coronavirus earlier this year in light of recently released recordings that show Trump privately acknowledged the threat to journalist Bob Woodward in February. CNN’s Jake Tapper asked Navarro during a heated interview on “State of the Union” about Trump’s comments in a Feb. 7 interview with Woodward for a forthcoming book that contradicted what the president said publicly about the coronavirus a couple of days later. (Klar, 9/13)
The Hill:
Science Editor Says Trump 'Flat-Out Lied' About COVID-19, Demoralizing Scientific Community
The editor of the leading academic journal Science wrote in an editorial published Friday that President Trump "flat-out lied" to the American people based on comments revealed this week to journalist Bob Woodward. "As he was playing down the virus to the public, Trump was not confused or inadequately briefed: He flat-out lied, repeatedly, about science to the American people," wrote the editor, H. Holden Thorp. "These lies demoralized the scientific community and cost countless lives in the United States." (Sullivan, 9/11)
AP:
As Trump Played Down Virus, Health Experts' Alarm Grew
Public health officials were already warning Americans about the need to prepare for the coronavirus threat in early February when President Donald Trump called it “deadly stuff” in a private conversation that has only now has come to light. At the time, the virus was mostly a problem in China, with just 11 cases confirmed in the United States. (Freking, 9/13)
Author Bob Woodward tackles criticism that he should've spoken up sooner —
NPR:
Woodward Addresses Criticism That He Should've Detailed Trump Interviews Earlier
Famed journalist Bob Woodward is addressing criticism he's received for not promptly sharing with the public what the president told him about the coronavirus and the government's response in a series of interviews earlier this year. "I've done this almost for 50 years, and I think I have a public health responsibility, like any citizen does — or maybe a journalist has more of a responsibility. If at any point I had thought there's something to tell the American people that they don't know, I would do it," [he said]. (Sprunt, 9/14)
In other news from the Trump administration —
The Hill:
Fauci Disagrees With Trump That US Rounding 'Final Turn' On Pandemic
Anthony Fauci on Friday said he disagrees with President Trump that the country has rounded "the final turn" on the COVID-19 pandemic, and warned Americans not to get complacent heading into the fall. Fauci, the federal government's leading infectious disease expert, was responding to comments made by Trump during a press conference on Thursday, where he defended his comments made to Bob Woodward about deliberately downplaying the severity of the pandemic. (Weixel, 9/11)
Politico:
House Democrats Probing $250M Coronavirus Messaging Contract
Senior House Democrats have launched an investigation into the Trump administration’s awarding of a $250 million communications contract to help “defeat despair and inspire hope” over the coronavirus pandemic, as they questioned the political motivations behind the taxpayer-funded messaging campaign. The lawmakers are also calling on the administration to halt the contract while it’s under investigation, according to a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar that was shared with POLITICO. (Lippman and Diamond, 9/11)
Politico:
‘A Huge Risk’: Trump’s Allies Can’t Sway Him On Mail-In Voting
For a few weeks, Donald Trump’s advisers had seemingly gotten through to him — the president was finally encouraging his supporters to vote by mail, at least some of the time. On-message Trump didn’t last long. He recently appeared to suggest people vote twice — voting in person as a way to determine if their mail-in ballot had been counted — later warning Democrats would be “thieving and stealing and robbing” their way to an election win. Now, five Republicans close to the president’s campaign say that if Trump keeps up his vacillating mail-in voting rhetoric, they fear infrequent voters, especially older ones, will simply sit out the election. (Kumar, 9/12)
The Hill:
Almost 2 In 3 Americans Disapprove Of Trump's Handling Of Pandemic: Poll
Almost 2 in 3 Americans disapprove of President Trump’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a poll released Sunday. An ABC News-Ipsos poll determined that 65 percent of respondents said they disapprove of the president’s management of the COVID-19 crisis almost eight months after the first coronavirus case was confirmed in Washington state. (Coleman, 9/13)
