- The White House is hoping to shift President Donald Trump away from briefing the news media directly on the coronavirus pandemic and toward talking about the economy instead, the Associated Press reported Monday.
- His aides are said to fear that a string of disastrous TV appearances by are harming Trump politically in swing states.
- On Thursday, Trump attracted near-universal condemnation after floating the idea that consuming disinfectant might be effective as a coronavirus cure.
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President Donald Trump is expected to start focusing on talking up the US economy — rather than directly addressing the coronavirus pandemic — according to media reports citing White House aides worried about his recent performances.
According to the Associated Press, Trump's circle is worried that he has harmed his chances of reelection with a run of freewheeling briefings on the pandemic that were widely condemned.
Instead, the Associated Press said, Trump is expected to focus on the economy, which is more comfortable ground.
Under the new strategy, the president would be talking in "tighter controlled settings," according to the report, compared with the coronavirus press briefings, which the president has been accused of trying to use as substitutes for his campaign rallies.
At the briefings he frequently insults reporters, clashes with scientific advisers, and makes wild and unproven claims about coronavirus cures.
At Thursday's briefing, Trump drew near-universal ridicule and condemnation for suggesting that the US should investigate whether consuming disinfectant might cure the virus.
It was a "breaking point" for many top Republicans, The New York Times reported on Saturday.
They are said to be increasingly concerned about internal polls showing Trump slipping behind in key swing states, including Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Florida and believe his performances at the briefings are a key factor.
—Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 27, 2020
The AP reported that internal polling indicated that Trump's best chance of victory depended on the public's view of how quickly the economy rebounded from the pandemic.
Trump gave a much shorter, focused performance at Friday's briefing and took no questions from the press. No briefings were held Saturday and Sunday, and Trump tweeted that they were "not worth the time or effort."
Over the weekend he vented at the press on Twitter, in one attack calling on the press to return their "Noble Prizes," in an apparent misspelling of "Nobel." He seemed to believe that the Sweden-based Nobel Committee has an award for US journalism, which it does not.
Trump has claimed his comments on disinfectant and his "Noble" remarks were meant sarcastically.
