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Post by TKennedy on Apr 10, 2020 10:15:47 GMT -5
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Post by Chesapeake on Apr 10, 2020 11:12:06 GMT -5
Trump Keeps Talking. Some Republicans Don’t Like What They’re Hearing.
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.
By Jonathan Martin and Maggie Haberman, NYT April 9, 2020
WASHINGTON — In his daily briefings on the coronavirus, President Trump has brandished all the familiar tools in his rhetorical arsenal: belittling Democratic governors, demonizing the media, trading in innuendo and bulldozing over the guidance of experts.
It’s the kind of performance the president relishes, but one that has his advisers and Republican allies worried.
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.”
Even the conservative Wall Street Journal editorial board chastised the president for his behavior at the briefings. “Covid-19 isn’t shifty Schiff,” it wrote in an editorial on Thursday, using Mr. Trump’s nickname for Representative Adam Schiff. “It’s a once-a-century threat to American life and livelihood.”
With only intermittent attempts to adapt to a moment of crisis, Mr. Trump is effectively wagering that he can win re-election in the midst of a national emergency on a platform of polarization.
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.
The consternation reflects a new sense of urgency over Mr. Trump’s re-election efforts as Joseph R. Biden Jr. emerges as his likely Democratic challenger. Three new polls this week show Mr. Biden leading the president, and the Trump campaign’s internal surveys show he has mostly lost the initial bump he received early in the crisis, according to three people briefed on the numbers. Public polls show he badly trails the nation’s governors and his own medical experts in terms of whom Americans trust most for guidance.
“I told him your opponent is no longer Joe Biden — it’s this virus,” Mr. Graham said.
One of Mr. Trump’s top political advisers, speaking on the condition of anonymity so as not to anger the president, was even blunter, arguing that the White House was handing Mr. Biden ammunition each night by sending the president out to the cameras.
Vice President Mike Pence, this adviser said, should be the M.C. because he projects more empathy than the president, rarely makes mistakes and, as a former governor and the chief of the coronavirus task force, has a better grasp on the details of the response.
The global toll approaches 100,000, as the N.Y. region again tallies its highest daily death count. National rivalries are jeopardizing access to medical goods that may determine who lives and who die.
Yet the publicity-obsessed president is unlikely to relinquish his grip on the evening sessions: Mr. Trump has told aides he relishes the free television time and boffo ratings that come with his appearances, administration officials say.
He also views it as an opportunity to put forth his version of events and rebut the negative coverage he is receiving, as he showed in a tweet Thursday afternoon. On a day that New York State reported 799 deaths from the coronavirus in a 24-hour period, Mr. Trump’s focus was on himself, and his feuds.
Donald J. Trump @realdonaldtrump The Wall Street Journal always “forgets” to mention that the ratings for the White House Press Briefings are “through the roof” (Monday Night Football, Bachelor Finale, according to @nytimes) & is only way for me to escape the Fake News & get my views across. WSJ is Fake News!
There is some preliminary evidence that Mr. Trump is heeding the Republicans’ concerns. On Wednesday and Thursday, Mr. Trump made what were for him relatively brief appearances before leaving the room and turning the podium over to Mr. Pence and Drs. Anthony S. Fauci and Deborah Birx. Whether it lasts remains to be seen.
Deep divisions remain in the White House and the Republican Party over how quickly to ease social distancing orders and urge Americans to return to school and work. Some who have Mr. Trump’s ear, like Mr. Graham, are urging prudence. But a number of Republican lawmakers and Fox News personalities are lobbying the president to reopen the economy as quickly as possible.
Amid the conflicting advice, the president’s gut instincts and fondness for showmanship have won out, prompting him to frequently contradict or simply obscure the scientists who polls show are most trusted by voters.
And it’s not just an overwhelming majority of voters who believe the medical experts should be center stage: Senator Mitch McConnell, the majority leader, personally urged Mr. Trump at the start of the crisis to let Drs. Fauci and Birx be the face of the response, according to a Republican official familiar with their conversation.
Judd Deere, a White House spokesman, said: “Any suggestion that President Trump is struggling on tone or message is completely false. During these difficult times, Americans are receiving comfort, hope and resources from their president, as well as their local officials, and Americans are responding in unprecedented ways.”
ImageMr. Trump has told aides he relishes the free television time and high ratings that come with his nightly appearances. Doug Mills/The New York Times
Some of Mr. Trump’s aides have quietly suggested to him that he ratchet back his public attacks on the governors who have emerged as leaders in the response to the virus. But they acknowledge their efforts can be something of a fool’s errand; the president has his style and he won’t change, they say.
His attacks on Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, a popular Democrat and potential vice-presidential pick for Mr. Biden — whom Mr. Trump called a “half-Whit” and “that woman” — were of particular concern to some aides and political advisers, who believe he risked alienating voters in a pivotal state.
Representative Paul Mitchell, a Michigan Republican, said he had contacted a senior White House official, as well as Ms. Whitmer herself, to express his unhappiness about their mutual sniping.
“It is not helpful to hurl names and talk about badly about people,” Mr. Mitchell said. “We need to focus on the problem.”
At Mr. Trump’s re-election campaign, staff members have closely monitored internal polling data showing an erosion of the gains Mr. Trump made immediately after he put social distancing guidelines in place. Advisers are torn between knowing that a less abrasive approach would help Mr. Trump and their awareness that he can’t tolerate criticism, regardless of the setting.
Mr. Trump’s limited gains in the polls are all the more striking when compared with those made by governors in both parties; many are enjoying double-digit gains in their approval ratings. And Mr. Trump’s penchant for ad hominem attacks, Republicans say, illustrates why he has little room for growth among the electorate.
“He can’t escape his instincts, his desire to put people down, like Mitt Romney, or to talk about his ratings,” said former Representative Carlos Curbelo, a Florida Republican. “That’s why he’s not getting the George W. Bush post-9/11 treatment. A leader in this sort of crisis should have a 75-to-80-percent approval rating.”
That would prove difficult for even a more conventional president at a time the country is so politically divided, but a number of prominent Republicans believe Mr. Trump has hurt himself by making only the most halting attempts at demonstrating an above-the-fray unity.
For example, aides to both Mr. Bush and Mr. Obama said that neither had been asked by the White House to do anything to aid the response to the crisis.
“The model of Obama asking Bush and Clinton to work on Haiti is a really good model,” said former Gov. Bill Haslam of Tennessee, recalling how Mr. Obama deployed Mr. Bush and former President Bill Clinton to lead the United States’ assistance to Haiti after the devastating 2010 earthquake there.
But Mr. Haslam and other Republicans believe Mr. Trump needs to go much further. Mr. Haslam called for creating a recovery team and installing “the economic equivalent of Dr. Fauci” as its leader. Asked whom he had in mind, Mr. Haslam suggested Mitch Daniels, who previously served as the governor of Indiana, the head of the Office of Management and Budget and as chief executive of the pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly.
President Barack Obama called on former Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton to help with recovery efforts in Haiti after the devastating earthquake there in 2010.Credit...Stephen Crowley/The New York Times
A number of senators, including Mr. Graham, are also pushing for a sort of economic task force to complement the virus task force.
“The administration needs to be thinking through what does it look like to get back to business,” said Senator Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, suggesting that it should “give a lot of thought to how we scale back up economically, because that’s going to be the next big challenge for us.”
The health of the economy may pose the biggest challenge to Mr. Trump’s re-election.
Mr. Toomey said he “won’t be surprised if we have 25 percent unemployment,” which would match the height of the Great Depression, by the start of the summer. But he said that if voters believed “the president has handled this well under the circumstances, and we’re on a good path, he has a shot.”
Other Republicans are more skeptical that Mr. Trump can win if he’s still saddled with double-digit unemployment in November. “I think that makes it really hard,” said Tony Fratto, a former Bush administration official.
And then there’s the matter of Mr. Trump and his conduct at the daily briefings.
Mr. Toomey has been outspoken about the need for Americans to wear masks when they leave home. Last week he had a 20-minute conversation with the president, whom he described as “thoughtful and engaged.”
By week’s end, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had issued guidelines: People should wear “cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain.” The agency’s decision was based in part on recent studies showing that people without symptoms can give the virus to others.
But in the same briefing where he announced the guidelines, Mr. Trump diminished the move as “a recommendation.”
“I just don’t want to wear one myself,” he said, explaining that he had no symptoms. “I am feeling good.”
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Post by majorminor on Apr 10, 2020 11:18:44 GMT -5
None of this matters at this point on the arc. What matters is the state of affairs come late summer.
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Post by epaul on Apr 10, 2020 11:22:27 GMT -5
Consider the last line of the chart Terry linked to, deaths per million. This stat and the percentage of deaths (also listed) are the most telling. (The number of cases/infections depends on the vagaries of testing, a wobbly stool at best upon which to base anything). Deaths per million: Germany 31 U.S. 54 UK 132 France 302 Spain 342 Now consider this current CNN story on why the United States has so many more deaths than the rest of the world. Is it misleading? I believe it is and is incontrovertibly so. Is it deliberately misleading? I can't answer that, but I would think an educated person would understand that gross numbers alone don't account for the population differences between various countries, a difference which, if not accounted for, is indicative of either ignorance or willful deception. Why would CNN run this? (do facts matter?) www.cnn.com/videos/health/2020/04/09/us-coronavirus-deaths-gupta-lead-vpx.cnn/video/playlists/coronavirus/
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COVID 19
Apr 10, 2020 11:28:37 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by aquaduct on Apr 10, 2020 11:28:37 GMT -5
Consider the last line of the chart Terry linked to, deaths per million. This stat and the percentage of deaths, also listed) are the most telling. (As number of cases/infections depends on the vagaries of testing, a wobbly stool at best upon which to base anything). Deaths per million: Germany 31 U.S. 54 UK 132 France 302 Spain 342 Now consider this current CNN story on why the United States has so many more deaths than the rest of the world. Is it misleading? I believe it is and is incontrovertibly so. Is it deliberately misleading? I can't answer that, but I would think an educated person would understand that gross numbers alone don't account for the population differences between various countries, a difference which, if not accounted for, is indicative of either ignorance or willful deception. Why would CNN run this? (do facts matter?) www.cnn.com/videos/health/2020/04/09/us-coronavirus-deaths-gupta-lead-vpx.cnn/video/playlists/coronavirus/Criminal negligence. Between the press and the folks that willfully produce those hyper scary models, a lot of folks should at least be sued out of existence.
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Post by millring on Apr 10, 2020 11:41:46 GMT -5
It should scare the hell out of Soundholers that epaul is the one pointing this out.
I've always been easy to dismiss.
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Post by majorminor on Apr 10, 2020 11:49:13 GMT -5
It should scare the hell out of Soundholers that epaul is the one pointing this out. I've always been easy to dismiss. We'd tar and feather him but he's sorta in to that
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Post by John B on Apr 10, 2020 11:50:50 GMT -5
I'm on my phone, so I can't check, but is it deaths per million that are infected, or deaths per million of population? Big difference.
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Post by millring on Apr 10, 2020 11:54:56 GMT -5
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Post by millring on Apr 10, 2020 12:03:38 GMT -5
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Post by epaul on Apr 10, 2020 12:11:09 GMT -5
I'm on my phone, so I can't check, but is it deaths per million that are infected, or deaths per million of population? Big difference. Both are listed. And it isn't a big difference. The figures I listed above were deaths per million of population. Here are the pertinent deaths per infected percentages (per Terry's link): Germany 2.2% U.S. 3.7% France 10.4 UK 12.7 Italy 12.8% It is important to note, as the Major did, these numbers are snapshots in time. This tale won't be told until this thing has run its course. But, the running numbers are useful for policy guidance. And comparing the U.S. to Western Europe and the UK is the best comparison that can be made at this point. All are at similar stages in the viral run and have comparable medical facilities and living conditions. On this one particular story, CNN has no place to hide.
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Post by John B on Apr 10, 2020 12:29:28 GMT -5
I'm on my phone, so I can't check, but is it deaths per million that are infected, or deaths per million of population? Big difference. Both are listed. And it isn't a big difference. The figures I listed above were deaths per million of population. Here are the pertinent deaths per infected percentages (per Terry's link): Germany 2.2% U.S. 3.7% France 10.4 UK 12.7 Italy 12.8% It is important to note, as the Major did, these numbers are snapshots in time. This tale won't be told until this thing has run its course. But, the running numbers are useful for policy guidance. And comparing the U.S. to Western Europe and the UK is the best comparison that can be made at this point. All are at similar stages in the viral run and have comparable medical facilities and living conditions. On this one particular story, CNN has no place to hide. Well, I think deaths per million is a meaningless statistic since it doesn't factor in # of people infected. Deaths as a percentage of infected seems to be a better measure, to me. But, looking at my "preferred stat", and then watching the story, I don't know what the heck that story is about, either. I thought maybe it was an old clip, but it was from last night. Even on the numbers shown in the corner of the screen shows that the US is doing pretty good as compared to the total. It should scare the hell out of Soundholers that epaul is the one pointing this out. I've always been easy to dismiss. John, if you'd just post things I agree with we wouldn't have this problem.
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Post by majorminor on Apr 10, 2020 12:38:17 GMT -5
Well you are the numbers guy but to me deaths per million is better indicator of what's really going on. The total population is a fairly known number as are deaths. The problem with deaths per infected is the infected number is a function of how much and how accurate the testing is.
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Post by epaul on Apr 10, 2020 12:50:03 GMT -5
You have lost me on those links, John.
I don't understand what was so shocking about the state of Washington giving some ventilators to New York.
As for the second one, what is notable about the perpetual pissing match between "We are the Greatest!"/ "No we aren't." pundits?
Those idiots are saying nothing about the country, they are just hosing down each other.
If one batch of idiots runs around yelping "WE ARE THE GREATEST WE ARE THE GREATEST!" Another batch of idiots is going to run around yelping "NO YOU AREN'T, NO YOU AREN'T!" Why? Because they can't stand each other and whatever one says the other will counter.
And if another batch of idiots runs around yelping "WE AREN'T THE GREATEST, WE AREN'T THE GREATEST" another batch of idiots will run around yelping "YES WE ARE. YES WE ARE". Why? Because they can't stand each other and whatever one says the other will counter.
These idiots aren't commenting on this country one way or another, John, they are commenting on each other. This fellow you linked to, and please put this in the bank, does not loath America, he loaths those who are on the other side of the political divide and is attacking them by attacking their image of this country. (not only are you ugly, so is your dog!)
These back and forth "Greatest/Not Greatest" arguments are not about the country, they are directed at each other.
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Post by millring on Apr 10, 2020 12:50:17 GMT -5
Well you are the numbers guy but to me deaths per million is better indicator of what's really going on. The total population is a fairly known number as are deaths. The problem with deaths per infected is the infected number is a function of how much and how accurate the testing is. Especially important as more and more stories come out that the virus might already have been in the US as early as November of last year.
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Post by millring on Apr 10, 2020 12:53:08 GMT -5
You have lost me on those links, John. I don't understand what was so shocking about the state of Washington giving some ventilators to New York. The disparity between the headline and the story. The difference between "gives" and "returns", and why that difference changes the entire perspective on the pandemic.
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Post by epaul on Apr 10, 2020 13:00:22 GMT -5
Still lost on that one, John. I'm looking but not seeing.
But, that's ok.
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Post by Cornflake on Apr 10, 2020 13:20:03 GMT -5
Somewhat updated guidance to shopping for groceries, including information on the risk of getting infected from product boxes and shopping bags. www.wsj.com/articles/safety-advice-if-you-must-visit-the-grocery-store-11585336520PS: I was thinking about the statement that "there have been no documented cases of transmission of the novel coronavirus through food packaging." It's hard to imagine how you could ever establish such a thing. If you come down with the virus, it would be next to impossible to show that your only possible exposure two weeks before had been through a food package.
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Post by John B on Apr 10, 2020 13:31:56 GMT -5
Well you are the numbers guy but to me deaths per million is better indicator of what's really going on. The total population is a fairly known number as are deaths. The problem with deaths per infected is the infected number is a function of how much and how accurate the testing is. True, but if something is killing 90% of the people it touches, but has only touched 10 people, only nine deaths out of 330 million sounds pretty good. But the 90% is the more relevant number to me.* * This assumes the number of people exposed can be known. Yes, I have just assumed wind resistance is zero, and the lead weight and the feather will land at the same time.
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Post by t-bob on Apr 10, 2020 13:38:27 GMT -5
Just stop all this political crap ‘who is the greatest ‘
They’re all kids......
They’re all in the sandbox with diapers with stinky problems.
(somebody should paint a watercolor picture) I’m sure there’s a huge tremendous numbers with covid19 jokes
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