President Trump says he'll resume regular coronavirus briefings as the country experiences a resurgence of cases.
"We have had this big flare up in Florida, Texas, a couple of other places," Trump said from the Oval Office on Monday. "I’ll get involved and we’ll start doing briefings."
The acknowledgement came as Trump's advisers debate a return to the daily briefings, which were a hallmark of the pandemic's earlier days. They ceased after Trump repeatedly found himself sparring with reporters and going on tangents, including one about ingesting disinfectant.
Now, however, many of Trump's aides worry he appears absent as the crisis continues to rage. Trump no longer attends daily coronavirus task force meetings and hasn't held an event specifically focused on the virus in two weeks.
Trump said the revival of briefings would allow him to tout advancements on therapeutics and vaccines and explain the "positive things" his administration is doing to combat the virus.
"I think it’s a great way to get information out to the public," Trump said, adding they would likely resume on Tuesday at 5 p.m. ET — the same time he typically briefed in the spring.
"We had a good slot. A lot of people were watching," Trump said, using television ratings lingo to describe the sessions: "We had record numbers watching," he said. "In the history of cable television there’s never been anything like it."