WASHINGTON — After nearly 50 coronavirus press briefings in March and April, President Donald Trump’s aides and allies are increasingly worried that his lengthy appearances are backfiring politically and White House officials say they are evaluating whether to reduce his participation in news conferences in the weeks to come.
Concerns that the briefings are hurting the president reached an inflection point Thursday evening when Trump suggested that people might be able to inject household cleaning items or disinfectants to deter the coronavirus, sparking immediate and universal backlash from the medical community.
On Friday, Trump held the shortest coronavirus briefing to date — 21 minutes — and did not take any questions from reporters.
“The president has taken questions for 49 briefings since the end of February. This president's the most accessible in modern history, the most transparent,” White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said Saturday when asked by reporters why Trump cut the Friday briefing short, adding that he had taken “many, many” questions from reporters earlier in the day during a bill signing ceremony.
“The president has taken questions for 49 briefings since the end of February. This president's the most accessible in modern history, the most transparent,” White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said Saturday when asked by reporters why Trump cut the Friday briefing short, adding that he had taken “many, many” questions from reporters earlier in the day during a bill signing ceremony.
There was no briefing on Saturday and the White House schedule released for Sunday listed no public events for the president, but that is always subject to change.
On Saturday evening, around the time same time he has usually been at podium, Trump tweeted that the briefings are "Not worth the time & effort!" because he's asked "hostile questions" by the press, who "get record ratings."
When asked if Trump would stop holding the briefings, McEnany said “I leave that to the president. That is entirely his decision.”
“He is always fact-driven. There is always statistics sprinkled through what he shares,” she added.
Since the daily briefings began in March, they have dominated evening cable news and have driven public conversation about the coronavirus.
Trump himself has boasted about the viewership, saying on Twitter that his average ratings matched a season finale of “The Bachelor" and "Monday Night Football."
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