LIVE BLOG: COVID Taskforce Presser - Trump defunds WHO because he needs a scapegoat

LIVE BLOG below (presser likely will start 30-45 minutes late*)

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5:00* 6:15 PM EDT

Members of the Coronavirus Task Force Hold a Press Briefing at The White House (in the Rose Garden)

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What fresh psychodrama is this?

Will anyone ask Trump why his propaganda video clip from yesterday omitted February from the timeline?

Drinking game: will a reporter ask Trump which film version of Mutiny on the Bounty  does Trump prefer?

Trump loves him some Captain Bligh or hydroxychloroqueeg https://t.co/U5Xs5peM2F

— eState4column5©2013 (@eState4Column5) April 14, 2020

Made a racing bar chart based on the JHU data of #COVID19 in the world. As up till Apr.13, the United States has the most cumulative cases (557,590), followed by Spain (166,831) and Italy (156,363). pic.twitter.com/JypLTfyr5A

— Mena Ning WANG, PhD (@mena_wang) April 14, 2020

Coronavirus death counts are based on positive tests and driven by hospital deaths. But data from major metropolitan areas shows a spike in at-home deaths, prompting one expert to say current numbers were just “the tip of the iceberg.” https://t.co/iBdxhza932

— Charles Ornstein (@charlesornstein) April 14, 2020

‘Stay away from me, please’: Trump jokes at awkward event with recovered coronavirus patients https://t.co/gTMmS4zmXw

— Raw Story (@RawStory) April 14, 2020

4) Ability to develop therapeutics to meet the demand

5) Ability for businesses, schools, and child care facilities to support physical distancing

6) Ability to determine when to reinstitute certain measures, such as the stay-at-home orders, if necessary.

— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) April 14, 2020

I'm sort of hoping that @Olivianuzzi is the journalist who gets this scoop: An interview with Kimberly Guilfoyle about it feels that her ex is so fucking competent compared to her boyfriend's Daddy, who invited COVID to her birthday party?

— emptywheel (@emptywheel) April 14, 2020

I don't know whether to put this on the future Merchants of Doom map, or the Disaster Capitalism map. #ProfitFromPain pic.twitter.com/FOb6F8NE1a

— Jzikah (@jzikah) April 14, 2020

You'll likely be hearing a lot more about "contact tracing" in the coming weeks.

Here's a quick guide to the basics of what it is — and how it can help the U.S. eventually start to get back to normal.https://t.co/pMAyqIOGX6

— NPR (@NPR) April 14, 2020

Pandemics have destroyed cities before. Could they do it again? My interview with @charlesjkenny @FastCompany:https://t.co/2x1YL7un7z

— Richard Florida (@Richard_Florida) April 14, 2020

COVID-19 has exacerbated existing inequalities, fueled xenophobia & harmed marginalized groups. How can policymakers, civil society, and journalists respond? Tune in to this week's Big, If True webinar with @BostonJoan and a great panel of smart folks: https://t.co/12qikDOpOd

— Shorenstein Center (@ShorensteinCtr) April 14, 2020

Who is going to be the first person to decode all the blurred books behind Obama? pic.twitter.com/5pMs13URB7

— Shane Goldmacher (@ShaneGoldmacher) April 14, 2020

President Trump stepped to the lectern Monday on a day when the coronavirus death toll in the United States ticked up past 23,000. He addressed the nation at a time when unemployment claims have shot past 15 million and lines at food banks stretch toward the horizon.

Yet in the middle of this deadly pandemic that shows no obvious signs of abating, the president made clear that the paramount concern for Trump is Trump — his self-image, his media coverage, his supplicants and his opponents, both real and imagined.

“Everything we did was right,” Trump said, during a sometimes hostile 2½ -hour news conference in which he offered a live version of an enemies list, brooking no criticism and repeatedly snapping at reporters who dared to challenge his version of events.

Trump has always had a me-me-me ethos, an uncanny ability to insert himself into the center of just about any situation. But Monday’s coronavirus briefing offered a particularly stark portrait of a president seeming unable to grasp the magnitude of the crisis — and saying little to address the suffering across the country he was elected to lead.

www.washingtonpost.com/...

Yesterday this ad had 9.9 million views. Today it has 11.9 million views. Please watch and retweet. pic.twitter.com/DAoYxfkeya

— Adam Parkhomenko (@AdamParkhomenko) April 13, 2020

Tuesday, Apr 14, 2020 · 5:03:29 PM +00:00 · annieli

Feeds are up. It’s in the Rose Garden perhaps because the Brady Press Briefing Room is being cleaned like Augean stables.

Note that in the Rose Garden, mikes can be cut off and grabbed away from reporters.

Tuesday, Apr 14, 2020 · 5:07:02 PM +00:00 · annieli

see private equity firms making big lamprey money

US State Dept cables warned of safety issues at Wuhan lab studying bat coronaviruses. Interesting article raises possibility lab accident was source of initial #CoVid-19 virus outbreak not live animal markets. @BBCMarkMardell @BBCCarrie @haynesdeborah https://t.co/29ZP94zZBL

— Jonathan Dunn (@JonathanD1962) April 14, 2020

“Move fast and fake things.” Elon Musk failed to deliver ventilators to CA | The Sacramento Bee https://t.co/RPQt2gnHEb

— Russ Mitchell (@russ1mitchell) April 14, 2020

Tuesday, Apr 14, 2020 · 06:04:20 PM +00:00 · annieli

Press in place, it was supposed to start at 6pm EDT, but as usual they’re late there’s a mic stand stage left.

(update box’s time-markers are off)

It begins 615pm

Tuesday, Apr 14, 2020 · 10:31:58 PM +00:00 · annieli

Trump reads from prepared text 

“light at end of tunnel”

15% of US counties have 0 cases (note how many low population counties exist)

whine about WHO Trump claims he saved “untold numbers of lives”

reinforcing the timeline from yesterday

continues blame esp. WHO’s “political correctness” (?)

more WHO “lack of transparency” (this is an attempt to fire WHO head (and replace him with Ben Carson? — pimped by Steve Bannon)

more WHO blame — trying to shift media frame from Trump’s inaction (we’re still in a propaganda blitz like yesterday)

whoever wrote this really wants no accountability placed on the US

trying to blame WHO for the pandemic now into 10 minutes of prepared rant against WHO

now posing logic of abandoning WHO not unlike NATO and UN withdrawal

Trump now doing that sing-songy thing he uses in his rallies

still trashing WHO seque to ventilators

Now riffing on ventilator shortages back to (NY) 40k ventilators

130k ventilators (sic) (like the $130k to Stormy Daniels)

Trump now claims that he was in charge of ventilator distributions

(this is to refute the MSM reports on his inaction)

“a very powerful hammer” this is attempt to explain away not actually using the DPA

Trump now riffing on ventilator quality bragging about stockpile

calls on Adam Boller(sic) boiler plate on (cartel) pool defined by “health systems” (rather than state public health services) more public-private partnership malarkey

MSNBC is doing rigorous fact-checking

Trump back 

Tuesday, Apr 14, 2020 · 10:37:20 PM +00:00 · annieli

Trump now trying to rebrand the stockpile: DVR “Dynamic Ventilator Reserve”

now it’s going to be a corporate infomercial with a bunch of grateful CEOs

MSNBC has cut away keeping a window for the presser to comment on his WHO rant and his lack of economic task force members

CNN has cut away to critique the WHO rant and halt of funding to WHO

(This is a moment for Bezos or Gates to fund the WHO’s shortfall)

Tuesday, Apr 14, 2020 · 10:55:14 PM +00:00 · annieli

Trump is back commenting on ventilator surplus and self-congratulating his effort — (this is a disinformation campaign)

first saliva testing new branding “innovation under pressure”

Trump now hypes economy stock market blah-blah happy talk

(geithotw) “greatest economy in the history of the world”

hypes “reopening plan for 50 states” for before May 1

more windbaggery “nobody believed possible”

industry discussions with specific corporations (not industry groups some unions) agriculture, banking, construction, defense, energy, financial services, food services, transportation, telecommunication, healthcare, technology, sports

Trump loves these shout-outs like it’s a testimonial banquet

oil cutbacks in Saudi Arabia “biggest oil deal ever made”

CNN cuts away for fact check with Daniel Dale including how talking about governors about “authorizing” them was as meaningless as “ordering supermodels to date other people”

Tuesday, Apr 14, 2020 · 11:10:44 PM +00:00 · annieli

Trump now touting the largess of ventilators and tests

Now Press Questions

Q: WHO — funding hold?

Trump bafflegab blaming WHO “China-centric”

Q: will you take funding from states governors that don’t obey you?

Trump punts “the governors will be respectful of the presidency” (isn’t that what Emperor palpatine)

Q: will adequate testing exist by May 1

Trump blah-blah

Q: WHO — are you trying to fire Tedros?

Trump unfair blah-blah “China a developing nation...” WTO

Q: contradiction on WHO policy vis. trade?

Trump blah-blah now on tariffs

Q:  testing and social distancing in states not complying

Trump blames governors tries to silence Brian Karem “he’s a showboat” doesn’t let him finish question

Q:  states opening

Trump blah-blah “some states want to open only now”

more blame

Tuesday, Apr 14, 2020 · 11:17:39 PM +00:00 · annieli

Q: walking back attack on China?

Trump punts … Trump blah-blah on tariffs Trump rambles on “investigation” of WHO

Q: Trump’s critique of China’s transparency

“I don’t believe anything I hear” more bafflegab

Q: report on disproportionate effects on Black Americans?

two weeks

Q: testing again and reopening

Trump punts “puzzle” “I’m going to put pressure on any governor”

“beautiful little pieces”

Q: “King Trump” (Cuomo)

Trump gets testy hospital ship blah-blah “we’ll get along just fine”

Q: assurances to workers re: going back to work

Trump bafflegab “they could do lots of things”

ballparks, restaurants blah-blah

Tuesday, Apr 14, 2020 · 11:21:46 PM +00:00 · annieli

Q: paycheck program assurances?

Trump whines about Kennedy Center

Q: OAN — 20 states ready to open?

Trump says there are 29 states

Q: food supply?

Trump punts 

Q: guidelines on social distance

“they have lots of room”

Trump flees 

No Pence. Birx, etc.