Consumed with what he views as unfair coverage of his administration, Trump hasn’t articulated a new plan to contain the spreading virus and last spoke to his top public health advisers weeks ago, those advisers said this week.
Even as some of Trump’s political aides quietly assert he would score political points by wearing a mask — like Vice President Mike Pence did on Thursday in Ohio — Trump hasn’t shown signs of budging.
Even as campaign advisers present polls showing Trump trailing Biden badly in critical battleground states, Trump has questioned their accuracy and insisted his problems lie mostly in negative news coverage rather than his own behavior.
Trump hopes to focus more intently on the economy, and White House advisers continue to believe a major rebound in unemployment and growth will provide a lifeline to the President’s campaign by the time the election enters its final stretch in the fall.
But plans to schedule a series of rallies that could redirect Trump’s focus toward his reelection campaign and defining Biden were upended when the debut event in Tulsa left Trump fuming over empty seats and several campaign aides with coronavirus.
