WASHINGTON (Reuters) – When President Donald Trump resumes giving coronavirus briefings on Tuesday he will focus on his accomplishments and positive developments on treatments and vaccines, according to White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany.
The briefings “may be daily,” and typically will occur at 5 p.m. or 6 p.m. EDT (2100 or 2200 GMT), McEnany told Fox News. As the novel coronavirus began to rapidly spread in the United States this spring, Trump frequently crowded onto the press room dais with experts leading the fight against the disease and spent hours fielding questions and presenting his thoughts on how to treat infections. The briefings tapered off this summer.
McEnany said that when Trump returns to the lectern to speak about the coronavirus that has claimed more than 140,000 U.S. lives he plans “on taking questions at these and delivering a lot of good news on therapeutics and vaccines and the way forward through this virus and showing our historic response also.”
CNN reported earlier on Tuesday that it was unclear whether Drs. Anthony Fauci and Deborah Birx, officials on the coronavirus task force who became household names during the spring briefings, would attend on Tuesday. Vice President Mike Pence, who heads the task force, is traveling.
Congress is currently in the throes of negotiating another coronavirus relief bill to help deal with the pandemic and blunt the economic pain it has caused.
(Reporting by Lisa Lambert; editing by Jonathan Oatis)
