Watchdog to Trump Admin: Time for leadership, not lies and doublespeak

WASHINGTON, D.C. – At a Fox News town hall today, President Trump and key members of his COVID-19 task force attempted to rewrite the history of the administration’s failed response to the pandemic over the past few weeks, with Trump at times actively contradicting his administration’s own experts.

“At today’s town hall, President Trump wasn’t just at war with the truth, he was at war with his own administration,” said Accountable.US President Kyle Herrig. “The administration’s response to the COVID-19 crisis has been a mess: President Trump spreads false information, and his own experts rush to correct him to ensure the public’s safety. The American people need clear, accurate information from their leaders, and right now, all they’re hearing is lies and confusing doublespeak.”

Notable moments from the town hall:

  • Trump called for an end to social distancing and said he wanted to get people back to work by Easter, without evidence to suggest that it would be safe.
  • Trump again suggested that COVID-19 is similar to the seasonal flu, despite his top health officials’ repeated statements to the contrary.
  • Vice President Pence said that Trump had a great relationship with state governors from early in the crisis response process. But Trump has been bullying state governors including Governors Whitmer, Pritzker, and Cuomo on Twitter for their COVID-19 responses, and minutes later in the same town hall, Trump criticized Cuomo for not ordering enough ventilators for New York state during the 2015 Ebola crisis.

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