Journalists on Twitter React to Trump’s 12th Empty Schedule in Past 16 Days: ‘Who’s Staying In The Basement Now?’

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Journalists reacted with alarm and mockery to President Donald Trump’s 12th empty official White House schedule in the past 16 days, amid record-shattering coronavirus infections.

On Wednesday night, the White House released Trump’s official public schedule for Thursday, and it had a very familiar ring to it:

DAILY GUIDANCE AND PRESS SCHEDULE FOR
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2020

In-Town Pool
Wires: AP, Reuters, Bloomberg
Wire Photos: AP, Reuters, AFP, NYT
TV Corr & Crew: ABC
Print: Los Angeles Times
Radio: NPR

EST

10:00AM In-House Pool Call Time

THE PRESIDENT has no public events scheduled.

White House reporters from many major outlets took note of the pattern of empty schedules from Trump over the past two weeks, even as deaths from COVID-19 surged past a quarter of a million in the United States, while other journalists mocked Trump’s inactivity.

No events on President Trump’s public schedule again tomorrow. That will mark the 12th day since the election where he hasn’t held any public events. No questions in over two weeks, which is unusual for him.

— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) November 19, 2020

And now another per tomorrow’s schedule… https://t.co/TULJa5qZYL

— Meridith McGraw (@meridithmcgraw) November 19, 2020

Another day without any public events on the president’s schedule, and another night with a late lid. President Trump has been spending his evenings in the Oval Office and West Wing, and aides are never certain when he will want to gather the press (sometimes it’s on a whim).

— Meridith McGraw (@meridithmcgraw) November 19, 2020

It means that the press who are at the WH aren’t dismissed until late in the evening (which is unusual when nothing is on the president’s schedule) bc his aides suspect there is a chance, even small, he may want to address reporters/cameras.

— Meridith McGraw (@meridithmcgraw) November 19, 2020

Another White House schedule. Another day of “THE PRESIDENT has no public events scheduled.”

— Zeke Miller (@ZekeJMiller) November 19, 2020

The president’s schedule has been empty day after day after day but https://t.co/dvT7xIudMs

— Annie Karni (@anniekarni) November 18, 2020

Today marks the 12th day in the 16 days since Election Day that the President has had no public events on his schedule.

This is believed to be the longest stretch Trump has gone without taking questions from reporters, per @betsy_klein

— Ali Zaslav (@alizaslav) November 19, 2020

President Trump has no events on his schedule tomorrow, White House says just now. Trump has not taken any questions since he was declared loser of the election, as he continues to spread lies about voter fraud.

— Hugo Lowell (@hugolowell) November 19, 2020

Thursday marks yet another day with nothing on President Trump‘s publicly released schedule … as the U.S. has surpassed 250,000 reported deaths related to COVID-19

— Ben Gittleson (@bgittleson) November 19, 2020

Trump’s “official work schedule.”

Sometimes, there’s nothing funnier than unintentional humor. https://t.co/8zAcnJxQXM

— Steve Benen (@stevebenen) November 18, 2020

Just a thought: when#Trump ‘s schedule says “the president has no public events scheduled”, shouldn’t they add a twitter schedule somewhere? pic.twitter.com/c7nrYk5d8B

— Rana Abtar – رنا أبتر (@Ranaabtar) November 18, 2020

With nothing on his public schedule and a pandemic gripping the country, Trump is on a Twitter screed pushing false information about the election from which even many Republicans appear ready to move on from.

— Anna Palmer (@apalmerdc) November 18, 2020

Yet again, Trump’s daily schedule (for Thursday) says this:
“THE PRESIDENT has no public events scheduled.”

Who’s staying in the basement now?

— Jackie Calmes (@jackiekcalmes) November 19, 2020

And Biden campaign senior adviser Valerie Jarrett took a shot at Trump as well, while highlighting President-elect Joe Biden’s recent outreach to health care workers fighting the pandemic.

Someone is hiding in his basement, and it’s not @JoeBiden.@NBCNews: Biden holds emotional meeting with health care workers; Trump has no public schedule. https://t.co/BRbs3frNYE

— Valerie Jarrett (@ValerieJarrett) November 18, 2020

CNN anchor John Berman addressed Trump’s light schedule on air Thursday morning, dubbing him “a tee-time president.”