NBC News host Chuck Todd wondered on Wednesday if President Donald Trump is just “surrendering” to the Coronavirus.
Todd started his Wednesday’s “MTP Daily” program by asking: “We begin tonight with a difficult question, which must be asked: Is the federal government, led by President Trump, considering, for lack of a better word, surrendering to this virus?”
Todd criticized Trump for insisting that the “country must re-open even if it means more death” even though “he doesn’t have a plan for doing that.”
He also pointed out the “uncertainty surrounding the White House’s strategy,” noting that on Tuesday Trump and Vice President Mike Pence told reporters that the White House would wind down the Coronavirus task force by Memorial Day only to abruptly change course on Wednesday.
“The uncertainty about the White House’s strategy… comes amid numerous warning signs that we’re not anywhere near ready to safely reopen the country from a health standpoint or a consumer confidence standpoint,” Todd continued.
Todd previewed this argument in Wednesday’s “First Read” newsletter that he co-authors with Mark Murray, Carrie Dann and Melissa Holzberg.
“This white flag from Trump comes as the United States is only treading water when it comes to beating back the virus. While the curve of new coronavirus cases has declined in the New York area, it hasn’t elsewhere,” they wrote. “What remains most puzzling to us is why Trump and his administration are so focused on reopening the economy rather than giving Americans confidence to shop, eat out and return to their workplaces.”
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