Trump Refuses To Take Power Away From Jared Kushner As Coronavirus Epidemic Spreads

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Trump is refusing to adjust his governing style and take power away from his son in law Jared Kushner, who knows nothing about the coronavirus.

Vis The New York Times:
Mr. Trump has refused repeated warnings to rely on experts or to neutralize some of the power held by his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, in favor of a traditional staff structure. He has rarely fully empowered people in the jobs they hold.

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Mr. Kushner’s early involvement with dealing with the virus was in advising the President that the media’s coverage exaggerated the threat.

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Mr. Kushner also sought to take on a more expansive role for himself despite his lack of knowledge on the topic and without talking to most of the task force members or public health experts.

The details match earlier reporting that Trump wouldn’t declare a national emergency until after Jared Kushner had finished his research. Kushner did get Trump to declare a national emergency. Still, he also advised him to deliver an Oval Office address that has been widely criticized and mocked and an even worse Rose Garden press conference.

Trump is now angry at Kushner and fuming over his bad media coverage, but this bungled crisis has been three-plus years in the making. The President is listening to his son-in-law instead of healthcare experts, and his lack of staff and bad decisionmaking is pushing the economy toward collapse.

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Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

Awards and Professional Memberships

Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association