Wednesday night would be only the second time in his presidency that Donald Trump would deliver an address to the nation with the full weight of the Oval Office around him. Despite the seriousness of the topic, the coronavirus outbreak in the U.S., CBS Evening News dismissed it as just an attempt at “damage control” for the administration’s image. They also elevated the screeching of raging House Democrats as CBS declared the address needed to be more than “just words.”
Even though anchor Norah O’Donnell noted that the Oval Office backdrop “underscores the gravity of today's developments,” bitter White House correspondent Weijia Jiang declared it was “damage control at the White House.” Her evidence was that “top health officials were summoned to a last-minute meeting with President Trump as he prepared to address the nation and reassure the public the government has a handle on the coronavirus.”
Or, perhaps, he wanted to get a briefing from his top people so they could write an accurate address and run it by them. She also invoked economic depression-like language and claimed the “the market crashed once again over fears of the virus, closing down nearly 1,500 points.” No other broadcast network described the market volatility in that way.
“Concerned members of Congress said they appreciated Dr. Anthony Fauci's honesty, but slammed the President for endangering their constituents,” Jiang added. But those concerned members of Congress were all raging Democrats:
REP. GERRY CONNOLLY (D-VA): This administration was not prepared for this crisis, and it put lives at risk, American lives!
REP. CAROLYN MALONEY (D-NY): The Trump administration's testing for the coronavirus has been severely inadequate.
When O’Donnell asked about what else the country could expect from the address, Jiang chided how Trump “insists that nothing matters more to him than the safety and health of Americans. But, of course, critics say those are just words. So, he's going to have to really lay out a plan for how he plans to contain this…”
Let’s be clear about just who’s included among those critics: CBS. Seemingly daily, CBS Evening News includes a segment railing against the response of the Trump administration and boosting Democratic politicization of the virus.
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
CBS Evening News
March 11, 2020
6:35:59 p.m. Eastern [2 minutes 32 seconds]NORAH O’DONNELL: And that includes the prime-time address to the nation tonight by the President. Mr. Trump has spoken publicly about the coronavirus almost daily, but this would mark the first time in such a formal setting from the Oval Office. And it underscores the gravity of today's developments. Weijia Jiang reports tonight from the White House.
[Cuts to video]
WEIJIA JIANG: Tonight, damage control at the White House. Top health officials were summoned to a last-minute meeting with President Trump as he prepared to address the nation and reassure the public the government has a handle on the coronavirus. This, as the market crashed once again over fears of the virus, closing down nearly 1,500 points.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Now we're hitting a patch, and we're going to have to do something.
JIANG: The nation's top expert on infectious diseases issued his starkest warning yet:
DR. ANTHONY FAUCI: If we are complacent and don't do really aggressive containment and mitigation the number could go way up and be involved in many, many millions.
JIANG: Concerned members of Congress said they appreciated Dr. Anthony Fauci's honesty, but slammed the President for endangering their constituents.
REP. GERRY CONNOLLY (D-VA): This administration was not prepared for this crisis, and it put lives at risk, American lives!
REP. CAROLYN MALONEY (D-NY): The Trump administration's testing for the coronavirus has been severely inadequate.
JIANG: Fauci was asked how the administration plans on controlling the outbreak.
FAUCI: How much worse we'll get will depend on our ability to do two things: To contain the influx of people who are infected coming from the outside, and the ability to contain and mitigate within our own country.
[Cuts back to live]
JIANG: CBS News has learned that the administration is considering issuing new travel restrictions for Americans going to and from Europe. President Trump says he will address possible changes and whether he will declare a national emergency when he talks tonight. Norah.
O’DONNELL: And Weijia, what Kessel we expect from the President's speech tonight?
JIANG: Well, the President says this is a time for unity and strength as the entire world fights against the common enemy of coronavirus. And he insists that nothing matters more to him than the safety and health of Americans. But, of course, critics say those are just words. So, he's going to have to really lay out a plan for how he plans to contain this, and he says he does have one when it comes to both public health and the economy.
O’DONNELL: All right, Weijia, thank you.
