Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Trump Sticks With Pandemic-Is-Ending Message In Final Days Of Campaign
The New York Times: Trump’s Closing Argument On Virus Clashes With Science, And Voters’ Lives
As an immense new surge in coronavirus cases sweeps the country, President Trump is closing his re-election campaign by pleading with voters to ignore the evidence of a calamity unfolding before their eyes and trust his word that the disease is already disappearing as a threat to their personal health and economic well being. The president has continued to declare before large and largely maskless crowds that the virus is vanishing, even as case counts soar, fatalities climb, the stock market dips and a fresh outbreak grips the staff of Vice President Mike Pence. Hopping from one state to the next, he has made a personal mantra out of declaring that the country is “rounding the corner.” (Burns, 10/28)
The Hill: White House Seeks To Clarify Press Release Claiming Trump Ended The COVID-19 Pandemic
A press release claiming that President Trump ended the coronavirus pandemic was "poorly worded" and Trump does not believe the pandemic is over, a White House spokesperson said Wednesday. "The intent was to say that it is our goal to end the virus," White House strategic communications director Alyssa Farah said during a Fox News interview. (Weixel, 10/28)
The Washington Post: Fact-Checking Trump’s Closing Arguments On Covid-19
In the final days of the campaign, President Trump continues to flood the zone with false and misleading claims about the coronavirus pandemic. Cases have been spiking across the country, while Trump insists “we’re rounding the turn.” The president continues to assert that U.S. infections are rising “because we do more testing than anybody else,” when experts say the main reason is the spreading disease. (Rizzo, 10/29)
And from Trump's rallies —
The Washington Post: Trump Supporters Stranded In Freezing Weather At Omaha Airport When Buses Can't Reach Site
After spending about an hour walking the three-plus miles back to his car, Jonathon Sundet posted a tweet calling the situation “disheartening” and asking for an explanation from the Trump campaign. The 19-year-old South Dakota State University freshman and his girlfriend had driven four hours to attend the rally, only to be stranded. “There’s this belief that Donald Trump is for the common people, and that’s part of the reason why he won in 2016,” he told The Washington Post. “But the reason why I wanted to tweet it is because I do believe in part of his message; I believe in some of the things he said that night, and it was kind of disappointing that a campaign would treat you like that.” (Elfrink, Shammas and Griffiths, 10/28)
Politico: Biden Rips Trump For Stranding Supporters After Omaha Rally
Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden on Wednesday condemned President Donald Trump’s campaign for stranding supporters in freezing temperatures following a rally the previous evening — arguing that the episode was emblematic of the White House’s failed pandemic response. The remarks from the former vice president came during an address in his hometown of Wilmington, Del., on the day after hundreds of people who showed up for Trump’s rally Tuesday night in Omaha, Neb., were left waiting for buses to transport them from the event site at Eppley Airfield back to their cars parked several miles away. (Forgey, 10/28)
In other Trump campaign updates —
Ars Technica: Trump’s Website Defaced With Claim That Trump Admin Created Coronavirus
President Trump's website last night was briefly defaced by hackers who pitched a cryptocurrency scam and claimed that Trump has "criminal involvement" with election manipulation and that his administration was involved in creating the coronavirus. (Brodkin, 10/28)
NPR: Trump Has Weaponized Masculinity As President. Here's Why It Matters
Trump has been blatant about amping up his particular, aggressive and pugilistic brand of masculinity. After four years, that machismo has manifested itself in seemingly every area of his presidency. And it matters — it has potential political and even policy impacts that may last well beyond his tenure in office. (Kurtzleben, 10/28)
The Washington Post: Trump’s Attacks On Political Adversaries Are Often Followed By Threats To Their Safety
The CIA’s most endangered employee for much of the past year was not an operative on a mission abroad, but an analyst who faced a torrent of threats after filing a whistleblower report that led to the impeachment of President Trump. The analyst spent months living in no-frills hotels under surveillance by CIA security, current and former U.S. officials said. He was driven to work by armed officers in an unmarked sedan. On the few occasions he was allowed to reenter his home to retrieve belongings, a security team had to sweep the apartment first to make sure it was safe. (Miller and Stanley-Becker, 10/28)
