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A26 U.S. NEWS
Monday 4 May 2020
Report: China hid coronavirus’ severity to hoard supplies

Continued from Page 25 obfuscating and delaying provision of its trade Trump has speculated that China could have
data,” the analysis states. unleashed the coronavirus due to some kind
President Donald Trump’s political opponents The report also says China held off informing the of horrible “mistake.” His intelligence agencies
have accused the president and his administra- World Health Organization that the coronavirus say they are still examining a notion put forward
tion of lashing out at China, a geopolitical foe “was a contagion” for much of January so it by the president and aides that the pandem-
but critical U.S. trade partner, in an attempt to could order medical supplies from abroad — ic may have resulted from an accident at a
deflect criticism at home. and that its imports of face masks and surgical Chinese lab. Speaking Sunday on ABC’s “This
The analysis states that, while downplaying the gowns and gloves increased sharply. Week,” Pompeo said he had no reason to be-
severity of the coronavirus, China increased Those conclusions are based on the 95% prob- lieve that the virus was deliberately spread. But
imports and decreased exports of medical ability that China’s changes in imports and ex- he added, “Remember, China has a history of
supplies. It attempted to cover up doing so by port behavior were not within normal range, infecting the world, and they have a history of
“denying there were export restrictions and according to the report. running substandard laboratories.”q

Sidelined by pandemic, Trump campaign turns to digital shows

By JONATHAN LEMIRE, ZEKE California, had received
MILLER and JILL COLVIN 10,943 views on YouTube as
Associated Press of mid-Friday morning. The
WASHINGTON (AP) — The campaign declined to re-
streaming video began lease any information as to
and, within minutes, the what it could glean in terms
president's eldest son was of the identity or demo-
musing that Osama bin graphics or hometown of
Laden had endorsed Joe its viewers, all of which was
Biden. Subtle, it was not. mined from rally sign-ups.
Welcome to the Trump "Given the current dynam-
campaign, digital edition. ic, there are a lot of things
Seven nights a week, Presi- up in the air," said Repub-
dent Donald Trump's re- lican strategist David Win-
election team is airing live ston. "Maybe this works,
programming online to re- maybe it doesn't. But you
place his trademark rallies have to be creative as you
made impossible for now try to address the issue of
by the coronavirus pan- how are you going to go
demic. Hosted by top cam- about reaching voters."
paign officials, prominent A sense of irreverence, in-
Republicans and "Make spired by the president's
America Great Again" lu- lack of filter, permeates the
minaries, the freewheeling In this Feb. 19, 2020, file photo Donald Trump Jr. speaks at a rally before his dad and President proceedings. On a Satur-
shows offer reality accord- Donald Trump appears in Phoenix. day night, campaign man-
ing to Trump. The shows are Associated Press. ager Brad Parscale and
an effort to stay connected for true believers. Akin to power and the then-vice said, before addressing the Lara Trump, a senior cam-
with core supporters and actors in a beloved sitcom president was "totally un- theory that the pandemic paign adviser who is mar-
maintain enthusiasm for a well into its run, the Trump prepared for that post," began in a live-animal "wet ried to the president's son
suspended campaign that officials warmly speak in in bin Laden's estimation. market" in Wuhan, the epi- Eric, traded observations
has had to rewire itself on shorthand, trusting that Trump cackled while sitting center of the Chinese out- about Biden, reinforcing a
the fly. Trump himself has their audience knows the on the couch next to his break. "The world would campaign narrative that
not yet appeared in his plot and its characters and girlfriend, former Fox News be a better place if China the former Delaware sena-
campaign's shows. are tuning in to see pro- host Kimberly Guilfoyle, and cared a little more about tor was not up to the job.
A review of one week's grams that, at times, made looked into his Skype cam- feeding their own people After Lara Trump said Biden
worth of the 8 p.m. broad- the president's infamous- era to declare that even so they don't have to eat cannot "form a coherent
casts, ending on the final ly off-the-cuff rallies look bin Laden knew that Biden bats. I don't know, just a ca- sentence," Parscale went
day of April, reveals a con- tightly scripted. "would destroy America." sual observation." on to add, "I feel bad for
certed effort to test attacks "Joe Biden had the cov- After Guilfoyle went to cook Since the Trump campaign him. I wish his wife would
on Biden, the presumptive eted Osama bin Laden en- dinner — it was the couple's went fully virtual on March pull him out of this" and
Democratic nominee. But dorsement! That's sort of a second anniversary that 13, each video has re- take him to a beach in Del-
the inherently limited effort big deal!" exclaimed Don- night — the president's son, ceived at least 1 million hits, aware.
also raises questions as to ald Trump Jr. on April 24, joined by Republican Na- according to campaign Parscale said the Trump
whether the campaign can hosting that night's broad- tional Committee official spokeswoman Erin Perrine. team moved seamlessly
replace the gold mines of cast deemed "Triggered" Chris Carr and GOP op- She added that the shows into virtual campaigning
potentially new voter data after his new book. erative David Bossie, con- drew more than 300 million after COVID-19 took hold
that the rallies delivered Trump Jr. had seized upon tinued to make politically combined views in April in America and that even
as it attempts to reverse a an oddly timed recent Fox incorrect observations that across all of its platforms: after the ground game re-
recent slide in a number of News story, which in itself would draw more scrutiny if Facebook, YouTube, Twit- turns, the campaign will
battleground states. was drawn from 2012 re- they were made anywhere ter, Twitch, Mixr, and the leave its bolstered virtual
The shows are a proxy for porting that bin Laden, other than a fans-only on- campaign's own website, apparatus in place. He
the "Trump TV" network the late al-Qaida leader, line broadcast. with Facebook by far the later said his favorite item
the president considered had once proposed assas- "China basically screwed biggest source of traffic. in his Florida home office
launching had he lost the sinating President Barack the whole world with their Tuesday's installment, was the Hillary Clinton toilet
2016 election, and they Obama because doing lies" about the origin of which featured House GOP paper that someone gave
create an echo chamber so would thrust Biden into the coronavirus, Trump Jr. leader Kevin McCarthy of him in 2016.q