Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) advised President Donald Trump on Monday morning to take it down a notch with his bombastic daily press briefings on COVID-19.
“I think an hour and a half or two hours of anybody every day is not going to be great for their political standing, no matter who they are or what they do,” Christie said during an interview with ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos.
The former governor, who served as a faithful surrogate for Trump’s 2016 campaign, said the President ought to contain his appearances at the briefings to 15 minutes or less “and then leave the rest of it to the vice president and the people who are the relevant experts that day.”
The New York Times has reported several times that a growing number of Republicans want Trump to step away from the podium, fearing that his constant blunders and loss of temper in front of the cameras will cost the party in November. Those concerns were reportedly kicked into high gear last week after Trump suggested that injecting disinfectant would cure COVID-19.
According to the White House’s official schedule, Trump’s coronavirus task force will hold a briefing at 5 PM EST on Monday, though it’s unclear if the President will be attendance.
Trump indicated via Twitter on Friday that he was fed up with the press conferences, complaining that they were “not worth the time & effort!”
“What is the purpose of having White House News Conferences when the Lamestream Media asks nothing but hostile questions, & then refuses to report the truth or facts accurately,” he tweeted.
Watch Christie below:
Former New Jersey Governor @GovChristie on President Trump’s response to the coronavirus crisis: “The President is always going to continue to be his own communications director.” https://t.co/Cd3eLmDDh8 pic.twitter.com/HpKJhSlDJq
— Good Morning America (@GMA) April 27, 2020
