White House to skip coronavirus briefing for second day in a row

The White House did not hold a press briefing on Easter Sunday, the second day in a row without one amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The White House did not schedule a briefing for President Trump on the holiday after having hosted press briefings almost every day in recent weeks. The president also did not hold a briefing on Saturday of the holiday weekend. 

The development came after the president told reporters Friday that he’s facing the most difficult decision of his life in choosing when to reopen the U.S. economy. 

“I don’t know that I’ve had a bigger decision. But I’m going to surround myself with the greatest minds — not only the greatest minds but the greatest minds in numerous different businesses, including the business of politics and reason,” Trump told reporters.

Critics of the president have blasted media outlets for continuing to air the press briefings, saying the White House is promoting false and misleading information.

Last Sunday, the White House had announced there would be no press conference before reversing the decision, in a rare occurrence, after the president wanted to address reporters.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) has held press briefings every day, including on Saturday and Sunday, as the governor of the state with the most cases and deaths associated with the coronavirus.

Nationwide, the U.S. has counted more than 542,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with at least 21,489 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

Morgan Chalfant contributed to this report, which was updated on April 13 at 7:11 a.m.