COVID-19 Will Get Worse Before It Gets Better — Trump

President Donald Trump warned the coronavirus pandemic is likely to worsen before improving, during the first outing of his revived daily briefings on Tuesday.

The President’s late afternoon appearance in the White House briefing room was designed to project a more commanding role for Trump, who has largely been absent in discussing the health crisis ravaging the country and has seen his poll numbers plummet as a result.

In a press conference that lasted around 30 minutes, Trump again said he believed the virus would disappear and insisted the American response to the pandemic was “much better” than in other places.

But he also offered more realistic projections that his advisers hope will make him appear like a sober-minded leader.

“It will probably unfortunately get worse before it gets better,” Trump said — echoing a prediction he made at the start of April of a “rough” two weeks ahead.

And he continued offering belated encouragement to wear masks, at one point pulling out his navy blue face covering and claiming he had no problem strapping it on (though he did not during the briefing).

“Whether you like the mask or not, they have an impact,” he said, adding later: “I’m getting used to the mask.”

Trump appeared from the podium by himself, unaccompanied by any of the health experts who comprise the White House coronavirus task force. About an hour before Trump stepped before cameras, Dr. Anthony Fauci said on CNN that he hadn’t been invited to participate.

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A person familiar with the matter said Fauci had initially been expecting to appear at the press conference. But White House aides signaled on Monday and Tuesday that the revived presidential briefings were unlikely to include administration officials.

Asked why that was, Trump insisted Tuesday that another of the White House coronavirus task force experts, Dr. Deborah Birx, was standing “right outside” listening.

In bringing the news conferences back, Trump and his aides are hoping to avoid the angry outbursts and meandering tangents that became a hallmark of their first go-around earlier in the pandemic.

They weren’t able to completely avoid unfortunate distractions on Tuesday; asked about Ghislaine Maxwell — who faces charges of recruiting, grooming and ultimately sexually abusing minors — Trump said he “wished her well” and recalled meeting her and her partner Jeffrey Epstein in Palm Beach.

Credit: CNN