Trump’s Friday briefing from the coronavirus task force contained political administration officials and no virus or medical experts.
NBC’s Geoff Bennett noted that there was no Dr. Fauci or Dr. Birx at the Friday briefing:
Neither Dr. Birx nor Dr. Fauci are present for today's White House task force briefing
— Geoff Bennett (@GeoffRBennett) April 24, 2020
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It was always going to come to this. After Trump told the American people to inject bleach into their lungs, there was no way that he was going to put an expert on stage to face questions from reporters.
The briefings or press conferences depending on what Trump decides to refer to them as on any given day, are an epic misuse of time during a pandemic. These pep rallies do nothing to provide vital public health information to the American people.
Trump uses his airtime to pushback against the cable news coverage that he is getting while spreading false information and happy talk about prosperity being right around the corner. It should be a red flag to every cable news network to dump the briefing when the doctors aren’t present. There is no reason to give Trump a live television platform when his only intention is to misinform the public with potentially dangerous recommendations.
It is time for the press to cancel the Corona Trump show.
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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
