Trump Calls Portions Of US ‘Corona-Free,’ Bemoans His Approval Ratings
Despite the ongoing viral surge, President Donald Trump said during a briefing Tuesday night, “You can look at large portions of our country — it’s corona-free.” He also wondered why public health experts Drs. Anthony Fauci and Deborah Birx poll well while his popularity shrinks.
Reuters:
Trump On Fauci's High Approval Ratings: 'Nobody Likes Me'
President Donald Trump groused on Tuesday about medical expert Anthony Fauci’s high approval ratings and joked that “nobody likes me” as he struggles to improve his standing with voters for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic. (Holland, 7/28)
CNN:
President Trump Ponders Pandemic Approval Rating Of Fauci And Birx
Trump said Dr. Fauci's broad respect should transfer to the Trump administration — for whom Fauci works. "Because remember: he's working for this administration. He's working with us. We could have gotten other people. We could have gotten somebody else. It didn't have to be Dr. Fauci. He's working with our administration. And for the most part we've done what he and others — and Dr. Birx and others — have recommended." (Liptak, 7/28)
CNN:
Fact Check: Trump Falsely Says 'Large Portions' Of The US Are 'Corona-Free,' Repeats Claim That Protests Are Leading To Rising Cases
As is often the case with these briefings, however, Trump's scripted message eventually devolved into a series of false and misleading claims about the state of the pandemic. At one point, Trump claimed that "large portions" of the US are "corona free" (not true). He also claimed that protests in Seattle and Portland were leading to spiking cases there (also not true). (Lybrand, Subramaniam, McDermott and Steck, 7/28)
In related news —
The Hill:
Poll: 77 Percent Of Voters Trust CDC Over White House On Reporting Coronavirus Data
A majority of voters trust the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) more than the White House when it comes to accurately reporting coronavirus data, a new Hill-HarrisX poll finds. Seventy-seven percent of registered voters in the July 17-20 survey said they trust the CDC more to accurately report data on COVID-19. By contrast, 23 percent said they trust the White House more. (7/28)
