Kushner Advised Trump to Loosen Social Distancing

Gabriel Sherman: “According to sources, Trump is increasingly frustrated with Fauci and governors who advocated for shutting down large swathes of the economy to stop COVID-19’s out-of-control spread… Trump is fuming privately that Fauci advised him that the only way to blunt the pandemic was to bring the economy to a halt.”

“The pivot away from the strict social-distancing strategy is gaining traction in the business community… Sources say that Trump is leaning toward telling at least some Americans to return to work after the 15-day social-distancing period ends on March 31. This puts Trump on a potential collision course with Fauci that many fear will end with Fauci being fired or quitting.”

“Trump’s view that he can ignore Fauci’s opinion may be influenced by advice he’s getting from Jared Kushner, whose outside-the-box efforts have often rankled those in charge of managing the crisis… Kushner has told Trump about experimental treatments he’s heard about from executives in Silicon Valley…  Throughout the crisis, Kushner has counseled Trump that the crisis isn’t as bad as the media is portraying. Two sources said Vice President Mike Pence has complained to Trump about Kushner’s meddling in the work of the coronavirus task force.

Washington Post: “Fauci and other leading public health experts have told administration officials and Republican lawmakers that prematurely scaling back social distancing measures would hamper efforts to mitigate the virus and devastate U.S. hospitals.”