The Times’ reporting makes clear that Trump’s pandemic response was being looked at through a political lens, with the November 3 election always in sight.
The newspaper recalls and August 19 Oval Office meeting where Trump tore into Kushner because American testing was showing too much spread.
‘I want to do what Mexico does,’ Trump said. ‘They don’t give you a test ’til you get to the emergency room and you’re vomiting.’
The paper also reported that Trump’s main pollster Tony Fabrizio presented the president with numbers that showed his supporters would embrace mask-wearing.
But Trump’s political gut said otherwise.
He was also influenced by key aides including Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, who as a congressman led the right-wing Freedom Caucus, and Stephen Miller.
‘The base will revolt,’ Meadows said, according to The Times reporting.
