White House to keep virus task force

WASHINGTON • U.S. President Donald Trump has backtracked on plans to disband the White House coronavirus task force, saying Wednesday that it will continue “indefinitely” following criticism of the move.

The president and his vice president, Mike Pence, had both publicly discussed scrapping the group on Tuesday, saying it was time for the United States to start reopening.

However, on Wednesday Trump changed tack, tweeting that the body had “done a fantastic job” and would continue after all.

“Because of this success, the task force will continue on indefinitely with its focus on safety and opening up our country again,” Trump wrote.

The president hinted at changes in personnel, saying “we may add or subtract people to it, as appropriate.”

The task force, which is headed by Pence and includes senior scientific advisers Dr. Anthony Fauci and Dr. Deborah Birx, was created to lead the administration’s response when the U.S. outbreak surged. On Tuesday, Pence had confirmed to reporters that disbanding the task force was being discussed, saying: “It really is all a reflection of the tremendous progress we’ve made as a country.”

Trump later justified the move when taking questions during a roundtable event in Arizona. Asked why now was the right time to scrap it, the president said “because we can’t keep our country closed for the next five years.”

The president’s decision to keep the task force but change its focus, rather than disband it and create a new body, followed critical media coverage.

Some reported the move alongside news that a well-respected academic model had doubled its projection for U.S. coronavirus deaths from around 60,000 to more than 130,000.

The change of heart reflects the tension within the Trump administration’s approach between a political incentive to show the virus is fading and the scientific reality of the outbreak.

With the U.S. election less than six months away, the Trump campaign has begun framing the narrative on his handling of the outbreak and the recovery, which it hopes will emerge as the “greatest comeback story.”

Meanwhile Mike Pompeo, the U.S. secretary of state, continued to voice criticism of China’s handling of the original outbreak and pushed for greater transparency from Beijing.

Pompeo again called on the Chinese government to grant access to the Wuhan Institute of Virology, which it has been claimed may have been the source of the initial outbreak.

Clarifying varying comments from U.S. officials on the topic in recent days, Pompeo said that there is evidence that the outbreak came from the laboratory but that it is not known for sure.

“We don’t have certainty and there is significant evidence that this came from the laboratory,” Pompeo said.