NYT Editorial: "Drop the Curtain on the Trump Follies"

[scarletwoman]

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/07/opinion/trump-coronavirus-press-conference.html

By Michelle Cottle (Ms. Cottle is a member of the editorial board.)
April 7, 2020, 7:00 p.m. ET

Why does the nation need to be subjected to the president’s daily carnival of misinformation, preening and political venom?

Even as the Trump administration slowly finds its footing in the war against Covid-19, one high-profile element of its response remains stubbornly awful: President Trump’s performance in the daily news briefings on the pandemic.

Early on, Mr. Trump discovered that he could use the briefings to satisfy his need for everything to be all about him. As the death toll rises, that imperative has not changed. Most nights, he comes before an uneasy public, typically for an hour or more, to spew a thick fog of self-congratulation, political attacks, misinformation and nonsense.

Since Mr. Trump took office, a debate has raged among the news media about how to cover a man-child apparently untethered from reality. But with a lethal pandemic on the prowl, the president’s insistence on grabbing center stage and deceiving the public isn’t merely endangering the metaphorical health of the Republic. It is risking the health — and lives — of millions of Americans. A better leader would curb his baser instincts in the face of this crisis. Since Mr. Trump is not wired that way, it falls to the media to serve the public interest by no longer airing his briefings live.

For those who have managed to avoid these nightly spectacles, it is hard to convey their tragic absurdity. Mr. Trump typically starts by reading a somber statement that he seems to have never seen before. Next come remarks from other administration officials or corporate executives involved in the relief effort, generally laden with praise for the president’s peerless leadership. Vice President Mike Pence is particularly gifted at this.

(much more at link, if you have access)

[flor-de-jasmim]

1. Yes, better to spend the time focused on how he is destroying the country.

[Deep State Gnostic]

2. Smokin'! n/t

[sop]

3. Trump obviously thinks "There's no such thing as bad publicity,"

a saying often attributed to Phineas T. Barnum. Trump apparently concluded his briefings will benefit him politically, no matter how much of a shit show they've become, or how much bad press he receives.

I believe Trump has miscalculated. These daily coronavirus pressers are creating more disgust with each passing day, even among his most ardent followers. I hope he continues doing them.

[Blue Owl]

4. Surprised he hasn't given us an update about the tennis courts yet

n/t