White House COVID-19 task force officials reportedly took personal offense to a Trump admin report that lists 'ending the COVID-19 pandemic' as one of Trump's major first term accomplishments

October 28, 2020

White House COVID-19 task force officials reportedly took personal offense to a Trump admin report that lists 'ending the COVID-19 pandemic' as one of Trump's major first term accomplishments

Donald Trump coronavirus — US President Donald Trump gives a thumbs up as he walks to Marine One to go to Walter Reed Military Medical Center after he tested positive for COVID-19 on October 2, 2020.
SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images

Health officials and scientists working on the US coronavirus response took offense to a White House report claiming "ending the COVID-19 pandemic" is one of Trump's major first term accomplishments, The Daily Beast reported Tuesday.
The report by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy included "ending the COVID-19 pandemic" and "understanding our planet" as the president's accomplishments in science and technology.
"From the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Administration has taken decisive actions to engage scientists and health professionals in academia, industry, and government to understand, treat, and defeat the disease," according to a press release of the report.
Members of the White House coronavirus task force told The Daily Beast that the report seemed to imply blatant disregard for their work in the ongoing pandemic, as hundreds of thousands of Americans continue to get infected and die from the virus.
As of Wednesday, the US reported nearly 9 million confirmed COVID-19 cases, and the death toll in the country surpassed 227,000, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
The US is also reporting an average of 59,000 infections per day, with an increase in hospitalizations in a number of states, according to a report by Axios.
"The White House is operating on a completely different speed than the rest of the health agencies," one senior administration official told The Daily Beast. "They've all but given up on the idea that there is more to do in terms of getting a handle on these new cases that are popping up."
"The rest of us still view the threat of those cases as the top concern," the official continued.
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White House COVID-19 task force officials were offended by a report from the Trump administration that lists "ending the COVID-19 pandemic" as one of President Donald Trump's first term accomplishments, The Daily Beast reported Tuesday.

The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy sent a press release to reporters outlining Trump's major first term accomplishments. The release highlighted points from a full report, including "ending the COVID-19 pandemic" and "understanding our planet" as some of the president's accomplishments in science and technology.

"From the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Administration has taken decisive actions to engage scientists and health professionals in academia, industry, and government to understand, treat, and defeat the disease," the press release read.

Members of the White House coronavirus task force told The Daily Beast that the report seemed to imply blatant disregard for their work in the ongoing pandemic, as hundreds of thousands of Americans continue to get infected and die from the virus.

At least four health officials and scientists working on the White House COVID-19 response told The Daily Beast that they took personal offense to the Trump administration claiming such an early victory in the fight against the virus.

"It's mind-boggling," one official told The Beast. "There's no world in which anyone can think that [statement] is true. Maybe the president. But I don't see how even he can believe that. We have more than 70,000 new cases each day."

As of Wednesday, the US reported nearly 9 million confirmed COVID-19 cases, and the death toll in the country surpassed 227,000, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. The US is also reporting an average of 59,000 infections per day, with an increase in hospitalizations in a number of states, according to a report by Axios.

"The White House is operating on a completely different speed than the rest of the health agencies," one senior administration official told The Daily Beast. "They've all but given up on the idea that there is more to do in terms of getting a handle on these new cases that are popping up. The rest of us still view the threat of those cases as the top concern."