Trump’s Own Aides Call His Daily Coronavirus Briefings A Joke

Last updated on July 18th, 2023 at 11:59 am

Donald Trump’s own allies are urging him to give up his daily coronavirus briefings and let the adults in the room manage this global health emergency.

According to The New York Times, “Aides and allies increasingly believe the president’s daily briefings are hurting him more than helping, and are urging him to let his medical experts take center stage.”

The Times reports that GOP lawmakers and White House officials are telling Trump to cut down on his “error-filled appearances” and get to work preparing for the “looming recession.”

To get more stories like this, subscribe to our newsletter The Daily.

More from the report:

As unemployment soars and the death toll skyrockets, and new polls show support for the president’s handling of the crisis sagging, White House allies and Republican lawmakers increasingly believe the briefings are hurting the president more than helping him. Many view the sessions as a kind of original sin from which all of his missteps flow, once he gets through his prepared script and turns to his preferred style of extemporaneous bluster and invective.

Mr. Trump “sometimes drowns out his own message,†said Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who has become one of the president’s informal counselors and told him “a once-a-week show†could be more effective. Representative Susan Brooks of Indiana said “they’re going on too long.†Senator Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia said the briefings were “going off the rails a little bit†and suggested that he should “let the health professionals guide where we’re going to go.â€

In interviews, Republican lawmakers, administration officials and members of his re-election campaign said they wanted Mr. Trump to limit his error-filled appearances at the West Wing briefings and move more aggressively to prepare for the looming recession. Some even suggested he summon a broader range of the country’s leaders, including former Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, in an all-hands-on-deck moment to respond to the national emergency.

Trump is giving Biden more ammunition each day

Donald Trump thinks stealing the spotlight for daily, 90-minute rambles will make him look like a president in command of a global health crisis, but just the opposite is true.

The more Trump speaks about the coronavirus, the clearer it is that he doesn’t have a clue what he’s doing.  It’s why the American people increasingly disapprove of his management of this crisis.

Even Trump’s closest advisers now believe that he is “handing Mr. Biden ammunition each night” through these daily political stunts.

In a campaign that Joe Biden hopes to make a referendum on Donald Trump, the president is only doing Democrats a favor when he goes on live TV each day and reminds the American people how dangerously incompetent he is.

Follow Sean Colarossi on Facebook and Twitter


Copyright PoliticusUSA LLC 2008-2023