President Trump tried to seize control of the coronavirus narrative Tuesday, returning to the White House podium to acknowledge surging cases while trumpeting progress on treatments and a vaccine that would soothe his election-year nightmare.
Mr. Trump said Americans are far less likely to die from the disease than they had been in March and April, citing the younger age of new infections and pioneering drugs, but he admitted there was work to do as cases and hospitalizations surge in the South and West.
“Some areas of our country are doing very well. Some areas are doing less well. It will, unfortunately, probably get worse before it gets better,” Mr. Trump, reading from notes, told the White House briefing room.
In a pivot, he pushed Americans to use face masks instead of stressing that it is optional.
“Whether you like the mask or not, they have an impact,” Mr. Trump said.
He specifically warned people to beware of bars and gathering in tight spaces and now says the goal is to end transmission — not just manage it.
“We want to get rid of it, as soon as we can,” he said.
It was Mr. Trump’s first briefing in months, after an uproar over the president’s grasp of the science caused him to stop the briefings and pivot to other topics. Notably, the president spoke alone instead of including members of his coronavirus task force, such as coronavirus coordinator Deborah Birx or Anthony Fauci, a top National Institutes of Health scientist who’s been publicly undermined by some White House aides.
Mr. Trump push for national optimism obscured the fervor in Sun Belt states, where Georgia’s governor wrangled with mayors and Florida teachers threatened to be no-shows if schools don’t appear safe.
Florida reported 134 deaths on Tuesday, giving it a seven-day average of 115, after it was average just over 30 a day a month ago, according to data compiled by The Associated Press. Texas is averaging 112 deaths a day and surpassed 4,000 overall this week.
California is on pace to soon pass New York in reported cases. The crisis is forcing Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom to roll back his attempts to restart the economy.
“Make no mistake about it, the spread of the coronavirus virus across the Sun Belt has been serious, we’re going to continue to focus great energy and attention on it,” said Vice President Mike Pence during a stop in South Carolina.
South Carolina is among southern states that are seeing positivity rates in the mid- to upper teens. Experts say fewer than 10% of tests should return positive to ensure officials are catching enough cases in the community.
