Posted on 03/25/2020 6:49:50 AM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer
WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump has a new daily ritual now that the pandemic has put the kibosh on the signature campaign rallies that helped him get elected four years ago: the coronavirus briefing.
The updates are far more staid than his raucous rallies and lack the adoring crowds and “Lock her up!” chants of the political gatherings. But they include many of the same features as his now-on-ice mass rallies: plenty of self-congratulation and airing of grievances, press bashing, tirades against his critics and an ample dose of misleading information.
That, combined with measured updates from public health officials, has created a sometimes confusing split screen for Americans watching at home, many under stay-at-home restrictions and anxiously tuning in to cable news for updates.
For the first few days of the crisis, the briefings were led by Vice President Mike Pence, who offered buttoned-up updates in a calming, paternal tone. But Trump, who never likes to cede the spotlight, quickly decided to make himself the star of the daily show.
Trump’s disposition varies. On some days, he has struck an urgent tone, calling on Americans to come together to defeat a common enemy. On others, he has angrily defended his administration’s handling of the pandemic and lashed out at reporters.
Yet the press briefings have also raised questions about whether news outlets should be airing them live, without fact-checking, given Trump’s penchant for exaggeration and misstatements.
Margaret Sullivan, media columnist for The Washington Post, said Monday that the briefings were beginning to sound like substitutes for Trump’s campaign rallies and were working against the goal of giving the public critical and truthful information.
MSNBC star Rachel Maddow went even further.
“All of us should stop broadcasting it, honestly,” she said. “It’s going to cost lives.”
(Excerpt) Read more at apnews.com ...
You can't stump the Trump!
That’s right. B.J. wouldn’t do it.
The media thinks they’re concert pianists but in truth they can only play 1 note.
CC
They should know by now. Will they ever know?
Trump is a winner.
RIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT! If he didn’t do the updates “he wouldn’t care about the people”, “doesn’t know what to do”, “is hiding something”, name numerous more ridiculous left wing accusations.
So says the hyper left AP.
I seriously hope that when we reach our tipping point these arsehats face the firing squads first.
Our media is now acting beyond dangerously.
If Trump tomorrow said that there are no effective treatments, the media would report on all the efficacious treatments.
If Trump said that this emergency was going to last six months, the media would tout that it is over by Easter.
Our media is more dangerous than this virus and is going to get more people killed.
Oh, ho, ho, ho. You just wait, Ape Pee. You ain’t seen nothin’ yet. President Trump’s first rally after this is all over is going to make his other rallies look like a company picnic.
It’s called ‘the bully pulpit’ and the Liberals think it’s only for THEIR Presidents. Sheeesh!!
If Conservatives sat still for 8 torturous years of “O” and his crowd of imbeciles spewing groundless and biased twaddle, then I guess THEY can endure President Trump-who frankly-HAS something to say and SAYS IT, without a lot of incessant, gratuitous, sing-song hectoring.
Yeah, in the form of mass aneurisms for Trump haters.
Particularly amusing about this idea (briefings are campaign rallies), is that POTUS has done an EXCELLENT job, IMHO, of NOT politicizing the briefings.
Where was this virtuous MSM when Hillary’s email habits were discovered, when Benghazi was in the headlines, when Seth Rich died, when I couldn’t like my doctor/keep my doctor? Did they delay anything for “fact checking”?
they’ve caught on
The AP is admitting Trump is indeed viewed favorably in his handling of COVID-19! I guess the latest polls have our Fake News freaked out! After all their hard work at trying to destroy our economy through this virus, things just aren’t working out as they’d hoped!
LOL!
” and an ample dose of misleading information.”
But AP will say Cuomo’s daily show is pure and noble. The nets will stop carrying Trump’s updates very soon in fact I expect it to go down to one network followed in a few days by cable only. Trumps rising approval is more of a crises then the virus to these scumbags.
The media thinks they’re concert pianists but in truth they can only play 1 note.
CC
....
Great analogy! I love it, and so very true!
The media is in fact dangerous but far, far less than it used to be pre DJT.
One of our Presidents lasting legacies and perhaps his most lasting is that of ripping the facade of the media and showing them for what they truly are.
“Cost lives.” Every time I hear that deranged refrain from the press and hysterical mayors of NYC, I think of Jack Nicholson’s self-important Marine colonel in A Few Good Men. Like standing on the wall at Gitmo was the same as the DMZ in Korea.
President Trump getting face-time with a massive at-home TV audience reassuring Americans, BTW, is simply the result of endless fear mongering by those who fear-monger by telling us PDJT is costing lives.
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