Donald Trump does not want to dissolve the Corona task force after all

Especially Anthony Fauci had recently achieved a certain degree of prominence with his appearances at the daily briefing in the White House and on various TV stations. And now it looks like he and his colleagues will stay with the US public for a while.

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At the same time, the President announced a realignment of the committee, which advises him on crisis management and thus plays a central role in containing the pandemic. From now on, the focus will be on “reopening our country”, as well as on vaccines and treatment methods, Trump wrote in the short message service Twitter. In addition, individual members of the task force might be exchanged.

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First the end, then the lightning comeback

The task force was launched in late January. On Tuesday, US Vice President Mike Pence surprisingly announced that the committee he led should be dissolved in the coming weeks. Pence named late May and early June as the time frame.

Trump initially confirmed his deputy’s statements and said it was now time for a new “phase”. He then backed off on Wednesday. The president told journalists that he did not know how “popular” the task force was among the population. He only became aware of this after he announced the end of the panel.

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The forecasts do not suggest any easing in the US

The announcement of the dissolution of the task force had caused astonishment. Not only is the United States with more than 1.2 million confirmed infections and more than 72,000 deaths the world’s hardest hit by the corona pandemic. Experts have also warned of a new increase in infections if the corona restrictions are relaxed too quickly.

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Despite the warnings, Trump himself is pushing for a quick return to normalcy: The president wants to get the economy going again as quickly as possible in 2020. Numerous states have already started to relax measures such as exit restrictions and business closures. He needs a thriving economy to stand a good chance in the November election.

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The U.S. president has been repeatedly criticized for its crisis managementbut rejects all allegations. He now said the pandemic was worse than the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in World War II. “This is really the worst attack we have ever had,” said the President in the White House. “This is worse than Pearl Harbor. It is worse than the World Trade Center.”

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