Trump blames media for focus on COVID-19

Less than 24 hours after his return to the White House after being treated for COVID-19 at a nearby hospital, President Trump took to Twitter on Tuesday to blame the news media for its aggressive focus on his handling of the pandemic. 

“The Fake News Media refuses to discuss how good the Economy and Stock Market, including JOBS under the Trump Administration, are doing. We will soon be in RECORD TERRITORY,” Trump tweeted. “All they want to discuss is COVID 19, where they won’t say it, but we beat the Dems all day long, also!!!” 

The Fake News Media refuses to discuss how good the Economy and Stock Market, including JOBS under the Trump Administration, are doing. We will soon be in RECORD TERRITORY. All they want to discuss is COVID 19, where they won’t say it, but we beat the Dems all day long, also!!!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 6, 2020

The virus has killed more than 210,000 people in America and has infected more than 7 million people in the U.S., according to Johns Hopkins University. Trump returned to the White House late Monday after spending the weekend at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center to be treated for COVID-19. 

Trump announced that he tested positive on Friday. Since then, other White House staffers have tested positive, including White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany and presidential adviser Kellyanne Conway. 

Meanwhile, a CNN poll released Monday found that 63 percent of respondents said Trump acted irresponsibly in handling the risk of infecting people who had been around him with COVID-19. Thirty-three percent considered the president’s actions responsible, while 4 percent said they didn’t have an opinion. 

Trump has repeatedly tried to shift the focus from COVID-19 to other issues, such as the economy, in the run-up to November’s election.