He’s back: Trump to re-up virus briefings amid lagging polls

TIL Desk/World/Washington/ President Donald Trump is set to once again take centre stage in the government’s coronavirus response after a White House debate over how best to deploy its greatest and most volatile asset him played out in public as his poll numbers falter.

One week after a campaign shake-up, the plan is for Trump to again become a regular public presence at the podium starting Tuesday as confirmed coronavirus cases spike nationwide.

Trump advisers have stressed the urgency of the president adopting a more disciplined public agenda in an effort to turn around his lagging poll numbers against Democratic rival Joe Biden.

I think it’s a great way to get information out to the public, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Monday, saying he hopes to discuss progress on vaccines and therapeutics.

His once-daily turns behind the White House briefing room podium largely ended in late April after the president’s off-the-cuff suggestion that injecting toxic disinfectant could help treat the coronavirus.