According to Fox news
President Trump on Tuesday is holding his first corona virus press briefing since April as cases of COVID-19 surge toward the 4 million mark and as daily confirmed cases of the virus regularly reach more than 60,000 a day.
The 5 p.m. ET briefing – which is not expected to be attended by any of the members of the White House corona virus task force – also comes as the White House tries to reassure the American public that it has a grip on the pandemic despite the recent surge in cases.
“He’s the right person to give the information to the American people,” White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said. “And, boy, does he get the information to a lot of the American people during his briefings, as noted by the ratings.”
Trump regularly made appearances in March and April during press briefings of the coronavirus task force that became must-see TV, but he abruptly stopped them in late April after receiving criticism after comments related to whether sunlight and disinfectants could cure the contagion. White House staff also had previously urged him to stop attending the briefings.
The resumption of the briefings also comes as the next stage of the federal government’s response to the pandemic was being crafted on Capitol Hill. Lawmakers and White House officials were opening negotiations on a trillion-dollar-or-more “phase four” rescue package.
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and chief of staff Mark Meadows were to meet privately Tuesday with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York on the new aid package, a day after Trump convened GOP leaders at the White House.
Democrats are pressing for the next bill to include funding for election protections, while some Republicans have broken with the White House in seeking additional federal funding for testing and contact-tracing. Meanwhile, Trump has found few allies in his push for a payroll tax cut in the legislation.
As of Tuesday morning, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, had not been informed about his role in the briefing. He told NPR he hadn’t been told by the White House whether he would be in attendance for Trump’s briefing.
The doctor said he was glad Trump has begun to promote mask-wearing and expressed optimism the president would reinforce that message Tuesday.