In addition to attacking China for introducing Covid-19 to the world, Trump’s political advisers want to position him as the candidate who oversaw a booming economy, stock market and low unemployment until the pandemic hit. Now they intend to argue in the coming weeks that he — and he alone — is the one who can resurrect the economy again, just as the first GDP data arrives Wednesday marking the end of a decade-long economic expansion that Trump inherited.
“I built the greatest economy. With all of the people that helped me and all of the people in this country, we built the greatest economy the world has ever seen,” Trump said at the White House this week. “And we’re going to do it again. And it’s not going to be that long. OK?”
The White House has previously tried to include businesses in the response by compiling various councils of business and faith leaders — an exercise that turned into a series of power plays within the West Wing and led to the formation of several committees of hundreds of allies.
Now, the White House is trying to go beyond just a messaging exercise to transfer some of the weight of the recovery into businesses, both big and small.
In the coming days, administration officials intend to highlight various blueprints that businesses have put forward to reopen warehouses and offices, said a second Republican close to the White House — an effort to show solidarity in moving toward a reopening of the economy.
And the administration does not just want to highlight the work of tech companies, or huge corporations. Aides want to showcase relatable companies including small businesses, as Trump did Tuesday in the East Room of the White House.
The White House’s Office of Public Liaison, senior adviser Jared Kushner and counselor to the president, Hope Hicks, have overseen the outreach and invitation to the executives and businesses. This week, representatives from the hotel, restaurant and automobile industries are expected to visit the White House, said a White House official.
“In the coming days and weeks, you’ll see the president spotlight small businesses that have been impacted, large businesses that have laid out responsible plans for reopening safely, and governors who have laid out plans for reopen,” said a second White House official. “Millions of Americans are unemployed and facing uncertainty and need to hear an economic message of hope from the White House. They also need to hear that when we reopen, they can safely go back into society. That’s our goal.”
The president may start to travel within the next week to make the case in person about the safe reopening of the economy, the official added.
Companies have told the White House they do not want to be held liable if they reopen offices or plants and employees fall ill with Covid-19. As a result, White House aides are pressing for some type of liability protection for companies included in the next coronavirus rescue package.
Source: politico.com
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