“As his administration grapples with reopening the economy and responding to the coronavirus crisis, Trump worries about his re-election and how the news media is portraying him.”
“Trump arrives in the Oval Office these days as late as noon, when he is usually in a sour mood after his morning marathon of television.”
“Trump sees few allies no matter which channel he clicks. He is angry even with Fox, an old security blanket, for not portraying him as he would like to be seen…”
“Confined to the White House, the president is isolated from the supporters, visitors, travel and golf that once entertained him…”
“The economy — Trump’s main case for re-election — has imploded. News coverage of his handling of the coronavirus has been overwhelmingly negative as Democrats have condemned him for a lack of empathy, honesty and competence in the face of a pandemic. Even Republicans have criticized Trump’s briefings as long-winded and his rough handling of critics as unproductive.”
“His own internal polling shows him sliding in some swing states, a major reason he declared a temporary halt to the issuance of green cards to those outside the United States. The executive order — watered down with loopholes after an uproar from business groups — was aimed at pleasing his political base, people close to him said, and was the kind of move Mr. Trump makes when things feel out of control. Friends who have spoken to him said he seemed unsettled and worried about losing the election.”
“But the president’s primary focus, advisers said, is assessing how his performance on the virus is measured in the news media, and the extent to which history will blame him.”
(https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/23/us/politics/coronavirus-trump.html)
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