You’re exactly right about why Trump had no choice but to go with the medical/doctors recommendation. They already think he is dumb/incompetent/anti-science so that would have been like pouring gasoline on a fire. I wouldn’t doubt they would have tried the 25th amendment approach if he hadn’t followed their recommendations.
But he knew full well what he was going to do. What the long-term consequences may be I don’t know but he knew the one thing the Democrats can be counted on to do is spend federal money, and since this would be an intentional shutdown rather than one caused by the business cycle, the economy would recover quickly (ref. his recent comments about how fast the stock market has rebounded). That Wharton School education and years of financial transactions did not create a Potus who is dumb or incompetent.
Nor is he anti-science, as we’ve seen he’s as capable as any of us at reading the HCQ articles and integrated that into his plan. He also knew how the Army Corps and DPA could be used to remove every obstacle or barrier that was thrown up. He has not only used science, but the power of his office to make sure the recommendations were not only followed, but were expedited as quickly as possible.
Because the faster we could show the surge had passed, the sooner he could get the economy going again. Bigger and better than before!
Trump always plays the infinite game. Democrats play for short-term power, Trump plays for the future of the nation.
He’s not anti-science, he’s anti-scientISM.