White House shifts messaging strategy on coronavirus
By Brett Samuels and Morgan Chalfant - 04/27/20 03:32 PM EDT
The White House on Monday signaled it is changing the way it will handle messaging on its response to the coronavirus amid growing GOP fears that President Trump is hurting his party's chances in this fall's elections with his daily White House briefings on the pandemic.
Advisers have urged Trump to scale back his presence at the briefings, which the president often uses to air political grievances and make inaccurate statements. Officials familiar with discussions said there is an effort to get Trump to focus his messaging on the economy while leaving public health experts to discuss the pandemic.
In a sign of the uncertainty around the new strategy, the White House initially canceled the coronavirus task force briefing scheduled for 5 p.m. Monday, with press secretary Kayleigh McEnany saying Trump would instead hold a press availability at a meeting with industry executives earlier in the day. But a few hours later, a press conference with Trump and Vice President Pence was scheduled for 5 p.m. in the Rose Garden.
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https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/494878-white-house-shifts-messaging-strategy-on-coronavirus
