Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Trump's Supporters Are Closely Watching How President Handles Crisis, And The Fate Of His Reelection Bid Could Hang In The Balance
Politico: Trump Finds His MAGA Movement Fracturing Over Coronavirus
Just two weeks after President Donald Trump rallied conservatives to focus on the threat of socialism, his followers are splintering over the coronavirus pandemic. On one side are those like Bill Mitchell, who dismiss it as nothing worse than the flu, and the drive to eradicate it as “climate change 2.0” — as in, a media-lefty mass hysteria. On the other side are pro-Trump fixtures like Trump campaign adviser Jason Miller, who had been sounding the alarms on the coronavirus since January, and are calling for harsher lockdowns and urging social distancing. (Nguyen, 3/18)
The Associated Press Fact Check: Trump, Dems And Politics Of The Pandemic
Americans normally hear from President Donald Trump when he is opining on Twitter, riffing from a rally stage or otherwise improvising. This past week was different as he sat in the Oval Office with a script laid out for him to read on a matter grave enough for a prime-time address to the nation. He addressed the coronavirus crisis that is spreading germs and fear. But his words were as factually fraught as many of his tweets. (3/16)
Politico: Trump’s Florida Sanctuary Becomes A Gilded Petri Dish For A Global Disease
Mar-a-Lago, the crown jewel of President Donald Trump’s real estate empire, has been his refuge and sanctuary throughout his time in office. Unlike in Washington, where the president is mostly cloistered inside the White House and interacts with a constant stream of aides and lawmakers, he gets to rub elbows and hobnob with his friends and other glitterati at his Palm Beach estate — showing off a real estate beauty to other elites. (McGraw, 3/15)
The Associated Press: Arc Of Trump's Coronavirus Comments Defies Reality On Ground
In the course of a few weeks, President Donald Trump veered from confidently assuring Americans his administration had the coronavirus outbreak “very well under control” to declaring a national emergency and tweeting ALL CAPS caution about the pandemic that has upended every facet of American life. Trump meandered from denial to grudging acceptance, and in his words, he seeded conflicting, inaccurate and eyebrow-raising commentary to a country desperate for unvarnished, even shock-to-the-system guidance.Throughout the global coronavirus crisis, Trump’s statements have been colored by baseless optimism. Sometimes, his commentary has been flatly wrong. Frequently, it’s been amplified by aides and allies with the help of conservative media. (3/15)
CNN: Trump Claims Coronavirus Is Under Control -- Contradicting Reality And His Own Top Expert
America's top infectious diseases expert is warning that hundreds of thousands of Americans could die unless every citizen joins an effort to blunt the coronavirus pandemic -- only to be contradicted by President Donald Trump, who insists the virus is under "tremendous" control. The fresh sign of Trump's unwillingness to accept the full, sobering reality of the outbreak came as an anxious America knuckles down to its new self-isolating reality. The country is bracing for the full fury of the virus that is already escalating sharply and is set to subject the foundations of basic life — the nation's health care, economic and political systems — to a fateful test. (Collinson, 3/16)
The Washington Post: A CDC How-To Manual On Crisis Communication Shows How The Trump Administration’s Coronavirus Messaging Is Dangerous
Amid an outbreak where vaccines, drug treatments and even sufficient testing don’t yet exist, communication that is delivered early, accurately and credibly is the strongest medicine in the government’s arsenal. But the Trump administration’s zigzagging, defensive, inconsistent messages about the novel coronavirus continued Friday, breaking almost every rule in the book and eroding the most powerful weapon officials possess: Public trust. (Johnson and Wan, 3/14)
The Associated Press: Doctor Says Trump Tests Negative For Coronavirus
President Donald Trump has tested negative for the new coronavirus, according to the president's personal physician. The White House released the test results Saturday night after Trump told reporters hours earlier that he had taken the coronavirus test, following days of resisting being screened despite the fact that he had been in recent contact with three people who have tested positive for the virus, including members of the Brazilian president's delegation who visited with him at his Florida resort. (3/14)
CNN: Trump's Negative Coronavirus Test Doesn't Put Him In The Clear
Donald Trump's coronavirus test came back negative after his exposure to an infected Brazilian official. But that doesn't guarantee a clean Covid-19 bill of health going forward. Because of the President's ongoing contact with countless numbers of people -- including White House staff -- he should be regularly screened and tested as appropriate. Hopefully, he will now start following US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines to avoid turning the White House into a hot spot for infection. (Samantha Vinograd, 3/15)
The New York Times: Trump Is Tested For Coronavirus, And Experts Ask: What Took So Long?
After hosting a gathering with guests later found to be infected with the coronavirus, President Trump refrained from getting tested, let alone from self-quarantine, even as administration officials urged Americans to adopt stern new precautions. Mr. Trump finally underwent testing for the virus on Saturday morning and was reported to be negative on Saturday evening. Still, the episode has startled and disconcerted medical experts, who worry that it sets a poor example for Americans and suggests that the president still does not fully understand the risks the country faces. (Rabin, 3/14)
NBC News: Court Cites Coronavirus In Blocking Trump Administration's Food Stamp Cuts
A federal court blocked the Trump administration's rule that would have forced 700,000 low-income Americans to lose access to the Supplemental Nutrition Access Program, known as SNAP or food stamps, on April 1. Judge Beryl A. Howell, the chief of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, cited the coronavirus pandemic in her decision to suspend the rule from going into effect. (McCausland, 3/14)
