Trump says coronavirus briefings will return and calls wearing a mask "patriotic"
President Trump on Monday said coronavirus briefings are making a comeback, in part because they were so popular. "I was doing them and we had a lot of people watching, record numbers watching," Mr. Trump said.
But the president stopped holding them at the end of April as polls showed they were hurting him politically. He also received sharp criticism for asking this question about disinfectants at the time: "And is there a way we can do something like that by injection inside or — or almost a cleaning?" Mr. Trump asked.
Mr. Trump has also been accused of using the briefings to campaign as rallies have been limited because of the pandemic.
And after months of downplaying the importance of face coverings, Mr. Trump tweeted a photo of himself wearing a mask and wrote: "many people say that it is Patriotic to wear a face mask when you can't socially distance. There is nobody more Patriotic than me, your favorite President!"
But he's only worn a mask once in public.
Meanwhile, there was another potential setback for the Republican National Convention in Jacksonville, Florida. The sheriff on Monday expressed concerns and worried the community would be at risk, citing a rushed time frame and a lack of resources to prepare.