President Trump abruptly exited his daily White House press briefing today without taking a single question, after digging an increasingly deep hole over his comments about treating coronavirus patients with powerful disinfectants.
The event lasted just 22 minutes, with Trump sharing the stage with other officials instead of holding court for up to two hours like he has on occasion.
He did speak earlier in the day, when he said he had been ‘sarcastic’ when he proposed treating coronavirus patients by injecting disinfectant.
Trump said he was just pitching the idea to reporters – but then admitted he also spoke to government experts about it and they were exploring it.
A top scientific advisor, Dr. Debbie Birx, was absent from the briefing – after Trump had directed comments about the bizarre treatments to her.
The transcript of Trump’s comments from yesterday do not suggest there was any sarcasm involved:
Transcript from Trump’s briefing on Thursday.
Trump’s absence today allowed him and his team to avoid tough questions about the 50,000 Americans who have now died from the virus, another grim milestone.
Another possible factor was an internal struggle with the press.
The White House had tried to bump CNN from its traditional front-row seat, only to be rebuffed by the White House Correspondents Association and individual reporters.
Trump’s briefings usually involve tense exchanges with reporters, although the New York Times reported this week they are a highlight of his day during virtual lockdown.
But Trump was to face questions on a variety of difficult subjects.
A drug he has touted, hydroxychloroquine, has been the subject of some negative trial studies and warnings from government scientists.
It was also on a day when it was revealed that Trump has little or no advance knowledge of the material he reads and see at coronavirus briefings, and does not take part in discussions beforehand, the New York Times reported.
It is not know whether Trump had seen the presentation of research by the Department of Homeland Security’s biological laboratories before the briefing.
Trump’s Thursday suggestions were ridiculed and condemned by many public health officials in recent hours, and the manufacturer of Lysol issued a statement telling consumers not to ingest its product under any circumstances
Joe Biden advised Trump to focus on PPE and testing, rather than wild theories: ‘UV light? Injecting disinfectant? Here’s an idea, Mr. President: more tests. Now. And protective equipment for actual medical professionals.’
“I can’t believe I have to say this, but please don’t drink bleach,” Biden tweeted.
Social media was in overdrive ridiculing Trump’s statements about injecting disinfectant.
Agents that are commonly used to kill the virus in the environment, bleach and isopropyl alcohol, are both toxic to the body when ingested.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta added that even small amounts of disinfectant can kill and that it was depressing to hear the White House spouting such dangerous ideas.
Less severe effects of ingesting bleach include vomiting, diarrhea, nausea, dizziness, heart palpitations and rapid breathing, similar to symptoms of severe dehydration.
Gupta also accused Trump of proposing unproven treatments.
The government’s own Food and Drug Administration warned against the consumption of disinfectants last year after a spate of deaths from people drinking a so-called Miracle Mineral Solution, which circulated as a fix for a variety of ills on social media.