Trump skips coronavirus press conference amid claims White House aides fear his performances are hurting election chances
President ended Friday's press conference without taking questions - on Saturday he skipped it altogether
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Your support makes all the difference.Donald Trump skipped his regular coronavirus news briefing altogether on Saturday, a day after walking out early on one and amid mounting concerns that his wildly false and dangerous claims could hurt his reelection chances.
Several Republicans have discussed changing the format of the press briefings to limit the president's appearances, according to the Associated Press, after he suggested Americans ingest disinfectants to cure illness - a comment he later claimed was 'sarcastic'.
On Saturday, the president skipped his daily press briefing, which he once hailed for their television ratings, and said they are no longer "worth the time and effort" and blamed the media for asking "hostile questions" about his administration's response to the crisis. But White House officials are reportedly trying to steer him away from his freewheeling briefings to protect his re-election chances.
He wrote on Twitter: "What is the purpose of having White House News Conferences when the Lamestream Media asks nothing but hostile questions, & then refuses to report the truth or facts accurately. They get record ratings, & the American people get nothing but Fake News. Not worth the time & effort!"
The president abruptly ended a press conference and refused to answer questions on 24 April, after hosting hours of daily briefings through the pandemic, as he was likely to be bombarded with questions about his lethal advice.
His departure followed a Thursday briefing in which he asked medical experts leading the White House response to the virus whether people could be exposed to ultraviolet light or be injecting disinfectant to clear patients' lungs, deadly claims that have been echoed by fringe anti-vaccination groups and conspiracy theorists.
"And then I see the disinfectant, where it knocks it out in a minute, one minute. And is there a way we can do something like that by injection inside or almost a cleaning, because, you see, it gets in the lungs and it does a tremendous number," Mr Trump said on Thursday.
He called on Dr Deborah Birx, a physician who sat stared blankly at the floor during his remarks, to "check" whether injecting chemicals can stop Covid-19.
The president tried to walk back his remarks on Friday, saying that he "was asking a question sarcastically to reporters ... to see what would happen" despite the context of his statement proving otherwise.
His claims were immediately condemned by doctors, health officials and cleaning product companies warning people not to drink their products.
Following his statement, the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said that "household cleaners and disinfectants can cause health problems when not used properly" and and urged Americans to "follow the instructions on the product label to ensure safe and effective use" at home.
Joe Biden, who is likely to face the president in November's general election, said: "I can't believe I have to say this, but please don't drink bleach."
On Saturday, the president also said he wasn't speaking to Dr Birx during his Thursday briefing but to a "Laboratory expert" - though transcripts and video clearly show him addressing Dr Birx.
He wrote: "The Lamestream Media is corrupt & sick!"
The president is routinely contradicted in his briefings by medical experts in his administration, including CDC Director Robert Redfield, who the president asked to denounce a Washington Post story in which the director said a second wave of the virus could be more difficult to combat. Instead, he told reporters he was accurately quoted.
Dr Anthony Fauci, who leads the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has called the events "draining" and has stressed that the president's frequent recommendation that coronavirus patients use hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malaria drug, has not been adequately tested and could prove dangerous to patients if used.
This week, the US Food and Drug Administration cautioned against the drug's use, which could cause "serious health rhythm problems that can be life-threatening" for some patients.
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