Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Trump's Top Health Official Very Visible In Swing States
Politico: Health Secretary Focuses Trips On Swing States Needed By Trump
In the midst of a coronavirus pandemic, the nation’s top health official is focused on showing his face in states that President Donald Trump needs to win for reelection. Since late April, HHS Secretary Alex Azar has made 11 trips to states — including nine to key battlegrounds in the 2020 campaign: Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Maine and North Carolina, as well as two trips apiece to Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. One of the other two trips was a visit to Buffalo, N.Y., the hometown of a top aide who recently joined the department at Trump’s request and personally arranged Azar’s visit to the city. The other was to Boston, the media market for yet another battleground state, New Hampshire. (Diamond, 7/2)
AP: Trump To Hold Outdoor Campaign Rally In Portsmouth, N.H.
President Donald Trump is set to hold an outdoor rally Saturday in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, according to the president’s campaign. The campaign rally at Portsmouth International Airport will come three weeks after an indoor rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the president’s first of the COVID-19 era, drew a smaller-than-expected crowd amid concerns of rising infections in the region. (Madhani and Miller, 7/6)
Politico: Kim Guilfoyle, Campaign Official And Girlfriend Of Trump Jr., Tests Positive For Coronavirus In South Dakota
Kim Guilfoyle, the girlfriend of Donald Trump Jr. and a top Trump campaign official, tested positive for coronavirus ahead of the president’s speech in South Dakota on Friday, POLITICO confirmed. Guilfoyle, who traveled to Mount Rushmore to attend President Donald Trump’s July 4 kickoff address, was not in contact with the president and did not travel on Air Force One. (Muller, 7/3)
In news from Joe Biden's campaign —
The New York Times: Joe Biden Supporters Are Worried About The Health Risks Of Voting
Identifying likely voters is a challenge for pollsters in every election. This year, the coronavirus, mail voting and a surge in political engagement may make it even harder than usual. For now, Joe Biden’s nine-point lead across the critical battleground states is so significant that it is essentially invulnerable to assumptions about turnout, according to New York Times/Siena College surveys of the states likeliest to decide the election. But Mr. Biden’s supporters are far more likely to be concerned about in-person voting during the pandemic, and his wide polling lead among registered voters could narrow if their concerns persist to the election. (Cohn, 7/3)
