"He's definitely melting down over this": Trump, germaphobe, struggles to control crisis
Publicly, he sees it as yet another (“Fake News”) media war; privately, he worries about virus-carrying journalists on Air Force One. But cancel his rallies? “I’m not going to do it,” he says.
BY GABRIEL SHERMAN
MARCH 9, 2020
Ever since the coronavirus exploded outside of China at the end of January, Donald Trump has treated the public health crisis as a media war that he could win with the right messaging. But with cases now documented in 34 states and markets plunging, Republicans close to Trump fear his rosy assessments are fundamentally detached from reality in ways that will make the epidemic worse. “He is trying to control the narrative and he can’t,” a former West Wing official told me.
The problem is that the crisis fits into his preexisting and deeply held worldview—that the media is always searching for a story to bring him down. Covid-19 is merely the latest instance, and he’s reacting in familiar ways. “So much FAKE NEWS!” Trump tweeted this morning. “He wants Justice to open investigations of the media for market manipulation,” a source close to the White House told me. Trump is also frustrated with his West Wing for not getting a handle on the news cycle. “He’s very frustrated he doesn’t have a good team around him,” a former White House official said. On Friday he forced out acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney and replaced him with former House Freedom Caucus chair Mark Meadows. Trump thought the virus was “getting beyond Mick,” a person briefed on the internal discussions said. Trump has also complained that economic adviser Larry Kudlow is not doing enough to calm jittery markets. Last week Kudlow refused Trump’s request that Kudlow hold an on-camera press briefing, sources said. “Larry didn’t want to have to take questions about coronavirus,” a person close to Kudlow told me. “Larry’s not a doctor. How can he answer questions about something he doesn’t know?”
Trump found a willing surrogate in Kellyanne Conway, but Conway’s dubious claim on Friday that the virus “is being contained” only made the P.R. situation worse.
Trump’s efforts to take control of the story himself have so far failed. A source said Trump was pleased with ratings for the Fox News town hall last Thursday, but he was furious with how he looked on television. “Trump said afterwards that the lighting was bad,” a source briefed on the conversation said. “He said, ‘We need Bill Shine back in here. Bill would never allow this.’”
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Stories about Trump’s coronavirus fears have spread through the White House. Last week Trump told aides he’s afraid journalists will try to purposefully contract coronavirus to give it to him on Air Force One, a person close to the administration told me. The source also said Trump has asked the Secret Service to set up a screening program and bar anyone who has a cough from the White House grounds. “He’s definitely melting down over this,” the source said.
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= new reply since forum marked as read
I'm saying I'd not be at all surprised if he actually is. The evidence you've presented against it ... I don't find entirely compelling.
All phobias have 'degrees', you know? There's people who worry about germs obsessively, but don't clean their hands immediately after touching anything in their surroundings. And then there's some that have it so bad they HAVE to clean their hands after touching practically anything. There's people who refuse to use a towel to dry their hands, they have to have a paper towel. Others will use a towel to dry one time, but then they throw it in the wash machine.
There really isn't one solitary definition of 'phobia'. It's an inherently nebulous term, in fact. The manifestations can be different in different people.
But you can go head on and be 100% certain that you're right if you want to 
Here's another thing ... phobia's are generally viewed as being defective or weak, people tend to ridicule people w/phobias.
Trump hates being seen as weak, and it provides him no advantage to admit to this.
You might say, well the Russia thing, but he's been saying this since 2007 at least ...
I'll leave it at that, we can agree to disagree
That he gets off on doing the showering, not being showered.
That's a far more logical presumption based on his overall personality.
Could still be wrong, but like I say ... I'd give ya real good odds to bet against me 
