WASHINGTON (AP) – White House strategists are planning to shift President Donald Trump’s public focus from the coronavirus to the burgeoning efforts aimed at easing the economic devastation caused by the pandemic.
That will put him in the position of looking forward to more promising times, Aides intend to put him in more controlled settings than his daily briefings, where his ability to grab headlines with freewheeling performances has become a liability.
And plans are being drawn up for a limited schedule of travel within the next few weeks. Meantime, Republican polling shows that his path to reelection depends on how the public assesses the pace of the economic rebound.
What is the purpose of having White House News Conferences when the Lamestream Media asks nothing but hostile questions, & then refuses to report the truth or facts accurately. They get record ratings, & the American people get nothing but Fake News. Not worth the time & effort!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 25, 2020
The changes come in the wake of major criticism of remarks made last week during a COVID briefing when Trump questioned whether injecting people with disinfectants and exposing patients’ bodies to UV light could help treat COVID-19.
UV light & injecting disinfectants to treat #COVID19?
Doctors and experts warned the public against #Trump's suggestion, adding that "swallow bleach will kill you and UV light will give you cancer". pic.twitter.com/mda3xK9iTu
— CGTN (@CGTNOfficial) April 24, 2020
Meantime, calls to NYC’s Poison Control Center for exposure to specific household cleaners and disinfectants increased more than twofold after the President’s comments on Thursday, according to a report from WNBC New York.
Data from the New York Poison Center:
*18 hours after Trump’s comments, the Poison Center received 30 exposure calls about disinfectants. Ten involved bleach, 9 were about Lysol, and 11 others regarding other household cleaners. Compared to the same time window last year, there were a total of 13 exposure calls, with 2 involving bleach, but none involving Lysol-type products.
(Copyright 2020 WBAP/KLIF 24/7 News. This report contains material from the WNBC New York.)