Trump Briefing Was Scheduled, Scrapped, Rescheduled

'We like to keep reporters on their toes'
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 27, 2020 2:19 PM CDT
White House Cancels, Then Reinstates Monday Briefing
President Trump listens as Dr. Deborah Birx, White House coronavirus response coordinator, speaks about the coronavirus in the James Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House, Wednesday, April 22, 2020, in Washington.   (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

After two days without a White House coronavirus press briefing, Monday's briefing was scheduled, scrapped, and then reinstated. The original White House guidance for Monday had President Trump and Mike Pence down for a 5pm briefing. White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said earlier Monday that Trump would speak during an event with business leaders instead, the Hill reports. She suggested the president would be cutting back on appearances, saying. "We're looking at different ways to showcase this president leading. Shortly after 1pm, McEnany then tweeted that the president would brief the nation on "additional testing guidance" during a 5pm press conference, reports the Guardian. "We like to keep reporters on their toes," wrote Pence spokeswoman Alyssa Farah in a since-deleted tweet.

After his remarks on injecting disinfectant during a briefing Thursday were widely condemned, the White House did not hold a Saturday or Sunday briefing, with Trump saying they "not worth the time and effort." Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said Monday that the briefings may not be helping Trump politically, the Washington Post reports. "I think an hour and a half or two hours of anybody every day is not going to be great for their political standing, no matter who they are or what they do," the Republican told Good Morning America, saying Trump should be present for 15 minutes max. "The American people are shut in for the most part, and they don’t need to see the same person every day for two hours." (More White House stories.)

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