When the President's own medical advisers refuse to correct his misleading claim, the coronavirus trust gap grows

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/07/05/politics/trump-medical-advisers-fda-commissioner/index.html

On Saturday night, President Donald Trump made the dangerously inaccurate claim that 99% of coronavirus cases are "totally harmless." On Sunday morning, one of his top health experts failed to correct the assertion, a stunning breakdown of the government's core duty to keep Americans safe and protect the public health.

CNN's Dana Bash pressed US Food and Drug Commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn repeatedly Sunday morning to explain the President's false statement in his Fourth of July speech from the South Lawn of the White House, one that minimized the devastating effects of the virus and seemed to encourage Americans to ignore the deadly risks of a pandemic that has so far claimed more than 129,000 American lives.

Hahn's refusal to specifically address Trump's misleading claim underscored the growing trust gap between Americans and this administration. Hahn apparently was afraid to correct the President -- a pattern that has repeated itself over and over again in an administration where disagreeing with or undercutting Trump has cost many appointees their jobs.