Trump news – President boasts about playing golf ‘very fast' as Florida records biggest single-day increase in coronavirus cases
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Your support makes all the difference.As the number of coronavirus infections in the US surges for the third day in a row to more than 69,000 cases, President Donald Trump has appeared for the first time in public wearing a face mask, at a medical facility outside Washington.
Mr Trump has eschewed the wearing of face coverings in public, previously saying he “didn’t want the press to get the pleasure of seeing it”. But with Covid-19 infections and deaths rising across the country, the president made an abrupt U-turn earlier this month and claimed he is “all for masks”.
On Saturday, Mr Trump appeared to express confidence in rapper Kanye West, who recently announced plans to run for the White House and distanced himself from the president.
Retweeting an article in which one of his own campaign advisers mused that Mr West may be trying to take black votes away from Democrat candidate Joe Biden, Mr Trump added: “That shouldn’t be hard. Corrupt Joe has done nothing good for Black people!” He added nothing further to the theory.
More golf news
Following on from this morning's tweet that he plays golf "VERY fast", the president is once again at the Trump National course in Sterling, Virginia.
Per the pool report:
The president’s SUV turned into his private, for-profit golf course in Sterling, Virginia at 0939. Pool vans continued on to an Italian restaurant in a nearby strip mall.
The 28-mile trip was unremarkable. The motorcade used the normal protocol for golf trips, led by a police car and using lights and sirens as necessary to stay together through red lights and to discourage other traffic from cutting into the line of black SUVs and vans.
Some pedestrians at the end held out cell phones to take video. Others flipped us off.
At the entrance were a small group of protesters, including one dressed as the grim reaper, carrying a scythe and a sign reading “137K.”
Today marks the president’s 86th day trip to Sterling. He has now spent 259 days on a golf course that he owns in his 1,270 days in office.
Maryland governor looks to future of Republican Party
On NBC News' Meet The Press this morning Republican Governor of Maryland Larry Hogan said that the party would have to look at a way to appeal to more people in any post-Trump era.
Correcting the messaging on masks
The Surgeon General appeared on CBS News' Face The Nation to discuss the changing messaging on masks from the administration and CDC guidance for schools to reopen.
Wearing a mask through the entire interview he said that the administration is "trying to correct" its messaging on masks but that it is "very hard to do".
He also said: "Once upon a time we prescribed cigarettes for asthmatics, and leeches and cocaine and heroin for people as medical treatments, when we learn better we do better."
"We can turn this thing around in two to three weeks"
The Surgeon General also said that if the public follows CDC protocols, wears masks and practices social distancing, then the spread of the coronavirus can be turned around in two to three weeks.
Graham says Mueller can testify
Senator Lindsey Graham, the Republican chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said today that he will grant a request to allow special counsel Robert Mueller to testify about the Russia investigation before the committee.
Senate Democrats have been pushing to hear testimony from Mr Mueller for some time, but the Republican stance has always been that it is time to move on.
Pelosi criticises DeVos on reopening of schools
Speaking on CNN, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi reacted to secretary of eduction Betsy DeVos' push for school to reopen in the autumn despite surging case numbers of coronavirus across the country.
"I think what we heard from the secretary was malfeasance and dereliction of duty. They are messing with the health of our children ... they ignore science and they ignore governance," said the speaker on CNN's State of the Union.
In an earlier segment, secretary DeVos had said that the “rule” should be for US schools to reopen in the fall, with some exceptions in place for localities with “flare-ups”.
Heading back to the White House
At 2.20pm the president’s motorcade departed Trump National to head back toward the White House, after first leaving the pool waiting on the street outside for over an hour.
Per the pool report from outside the club:
The anti-Trump protest grew from a handful to perhaps two dozen, most with signs commenting on the president’s competence and offering advice on steps he should next take.
Across the street, a handful of Trump supporters with “TRUMP 2020” signs waved at passing cars but mainly sat in the shade. A young man in a brown Jeep flying large US and TRUMP 2020 flags drove back and forth at least a dozen times, slowing down each time he passed the anti-Trump group.
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