According to interviews with individuals who are close to Donald Trump, they are worried that his rush to relax the health safety standards suggested by the Centers for Disease Control to hamper the spread of the coronavirus could blow up in his face and destroy his re-election bid if the pandemic grows worse afterward.
According to Politico, the president is hellbent on getting people back to work at a time with health officials -- including Dr. Anthony Fauci who has become the most trusted member of the White House coronavirus task force -- have said there should be no rush since it appears the spread is unabated at the moment.
That has people in Trump's circle concerned.
"President Donald Trump wants to reopen parts of the U.S. economy hit by the coronavirus outbreak. Allies close to his 2020 campaign operation are raising red flags — warning it could be imprudent to inject more uncertainty into an already unpredictable crisis," Politico reports while noting the Easter deadline proposed by the president.
"The prospect of watching Americans shuffle into 'packed churches' on April 12, an image Trump said he hopes to see, has alarmed some of his closest supporters who fear that rushing to end the economic clampdown — without full support from public health experts — could have catastrophic consequences on his bid for reelection," Politico's Gabby Orr writes, adding that "fear is percolating among some Trump allies during his war against coronavirus, countering pressure the president faces from elements of his base to lift restrictions as soon as possible."
According to former White House press secretary Sean Spicer, the president is playing a dangerous game.
“What worries me is if this goes south,” Spicer warned. “If he’s right and there are no new cases, and the business community starts to say how amazing that is, then he’s going to look like a hero. But if he opens up Nebraska because there aren’t that many cases there, and more cases suddenly start popping up, he’s going to pay a price.”
"Campaign officials who support Trump’s aggressive timeline still acknowledged the risk it carries. So far, testing shortages have made it difficult to determine precisely how many Americans are infected with the virus at any given time, opening the door for further transmission if asymptomatic carriers return to work. Moreover, a sudden surge in cases could prolong America’s battle with the virus and ultimately do further long-term damage to the economy," the report notes.
“If he handles this well, I definitely think he’s going to have another topic to talk about. But if there was another economic collapse, it could also really change our course,” explained one Trump 2020 campaign official, before adding, "In terms of how this affects the campaign, I would just say it’s too early to tell."
Allies are also concerned about his daily press conferences on the coronavirus may have painted the preside t into a corner -- particularly if things take a turn for the worse.
“It’s a liability,” warned a Republican close to the Oval Office. “Can you imagine if he reopens our economy and then suddenly disappears from the briefing room because things don’t go as planned?”
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