Trump Was Warned About Virus Threat In More Than A Dozen Intelligence Reports In January, February
The Washington Post offers more evidence that President Donald Trump was informed of the coronavirus threat at least a dozen times in the President’s Daily Brief early in the year, while he continued to downplay the outbreak to the public. Meanwhile, Trump's dangerous comments about injecting disinfectants haunt him more than other false claims he's made. And Trump's decision to freeze WHO funding allows China to step up into a more prominent global role.
The Washington Post:
President’s Intelligence Briefing Book Repeatedly Cited Virus Threat
U.S. intelligence agencies issued warnings about the novel coronavirus in more than a dozen classified briefings prepared for President Trump in January and February, months during which he continued to play down the threat, according to current and former U.S. officials. The repeated warnings were conveyed in issues of the President’s Daily Brief, a sensitive report that is produced before dawn each day and designed to call the president’s attention to the most significant global developments and security threats. (Miller and Naskashima, 4/27)
The Hill:
Coronavirus Warnings Appeared Repeatedly In Classified Presidential Briefings In January, February: Report
The president declined to form a White House task force on the issue until late February, about a month after the initial warnings began, according to the Post. White House deputy spokesman Hogan Gidley fired back at the Post's report in a statement to the newspaper, denying that the president was slow to react. (Bowden, 4/27)
The New York Times:
Trump’s Bleach Statements Echo Claims By ‘Miracle Cure’ Quacks
President Trump’s public statements about using disinfectants to potentially treat the coronavirus have put him in the company of pseudoscientists and purveyors of phony elixirs who promote and sell industrial bleach as a “miracle cure” for autism, malaria and a long list of medical conditions. The president’s comments, at a White House briefing last week, have already prompted widespread incredulity, warnings from health experts and a spike in calls to poison control centers around the country. The makers of Clorox and Lysol urged Americans not to inject or ingest their products. (Jacobs, 4/27)
The Washington Post:
White House Moves To Refocus Trump After Bleach Controversy At Coronavirus Briefing
Like an SOS distress signal emanating from deep within the White House, the daily coronavirus briefing was on, then off, and then on again. Monday morning’s whiplash — a news conference scheduled, canceled, and rescheduled all over the course of five hours — was a stark reminder of the challenges of trying to restrain a president who doesn’t want to be controlled. (Parker, 4/27)
The Washington Post:
Trump's WHO Funding Freeze In Coronavirus Pandemic Lets China Expand Influence
Days after President Trump announced he would freeze U.S. funding to the World Health Organization, China made a very different statement: a $30 million pledge to the group. Trump and his allies argue the WHO’s response to the novel coronavirus has been ineffectual and “China-centric” — and some outside the administration agree. (Rauhala, 4/27)
