It looks like Donald Trump's finally lost patience with actual pandemic experts

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

You may have noticed, of late, a distinct change in the Trump White House pandemic strategy. Out are the pandemic briefings because somebody finally convinced Trump they were making him look bad; in are Trump economic advisers making implausible claims on the Sunday shows. Out are the government medical experts, the ones who kept making news by not entirely agreeing with Trump's every bizarre new medical invention. (Take malaria medication! Drink bleach!) In is the newest White House press secretary putting on surly Fox & Friends-styled briefings declaring President Awesomedude to have done 12 brilliant things while nobody was looking, all wedged invisibly between the day's angry tweets.

This leads to the inevitable question: Are the government's pandemic experts even doing anything at this point, or has Trump's government simply bailed outright on the premise that they will be doing even a single damn thing to get the pandemic under control?

The last substantive public appearance from top government infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci (that is, one in which he was allowed to speak) appears to have been on May 4, over two weeks ago—an absence interrupted this week only by a video appearance with actress Julia Roberts.

That doesn't mean Fauci hasn't been at the White House or appeared as prop behind Trump. But when it comes to public briefings on the most urgent news of the day, such as the government's recent promising vaccine results or the overall direction of the pandemic as states "reopen"—perhaps, say, weighing in on Alabama now beginning to see the same hospital room scarcity that quickly escalated to crisis levels in New York City, early in the pandemic—neither Fauci or any other government medical experts have been made available to weigh in.

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2020/5/21/1946736/-White-House-has-been-reducing-availability-of-federal-medical-experts-as-Trump-pushes-reopening?detail=emaildkre

[Totally Tunsie]

1. The good news is that Dr. Fauci is still making his opinions known

by appearing on cable networks such as CNN. For example, he participated in the Pandemic Town Hall last night, hosted by Anderson Cooper and Dr. Gupta.

He still finds ways of getting the information out to those who need it.

[Thomas Hurt]

2. Trump is trying to salvage his re-election camgaign...

he doesn't give half a dead rat how many more people may or may not die.

You have to have an economy to keep the rich, rich.

Anyone else is just an acceptable loss to capitalism.

[coti]

3. Trump: Move all power to making stupid arguments! Stupid arguments full! nt

[GeorgeGist]

4. Covid-19 vs Trump?

The loser is obvious.