Sunday shows preview: As coronavirus spreads in the U.S., officials from each sector of public life weigh in

The fallout from the spreading coronavirus in the United States is supposed to dominate the Sunday talk show lineup this weekend as over 300,000 cases of the coronavirus have been confirmed in the country as of Saturday.

Local leaders, state governors, medical professionals and members of the Trump administration will take to the airwaves to discuss coronavirus response and mitigation. 

New York City reported a massive increase in deaths related to the virus on Thursday, with over 1,000 deaths in a period of 24 hours.

On Saturday the president announced 1,000 medical military personnel will be deployed to New York City, as New York state prepares for the apex of the virus estimated to occur sometime within the next two weeks. 

Defense Secretary Mark Esper, who has previously said military personnel wouldn’t be treating coronavirus patients unless “push comes to shove,” confirmed on Friday that the Pentagon is looking at the possibility of treating coronavirus patients aboard the USNS Mercy docked in New York City. Esper is booked on ABC’s “This Week” and CNN’s “State of the Union.”

Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and a key member of the Trump administration’s coronavirus task force said Thursday that he does not know why some states have not issued stay-at-home orders to curb the spread of the virus. He also noted that social distancing is the only way that the U.S. can slow the spread and “flatten the curve.” 

“I just don’t understand why we’re not doing that. We really should be,” Fauci said. As of Friday, 38 states have issued some form of stay-at-home orders, with some states — such as Florida and Tennessee — issuing their orders just this week.

Fauci, who has made frequent media appearances since the start of the crisis, is booked for CBS’ “Face the Nation.”

Surgeon General Jerome Adams, who expressed cautions akin to Fauci’s, said that the White House coronavirus guidelines should be interpreted as a national stay-at-home order and is booked on “Fox News Sunday.”

“My advice to America would be that these guidelines are a national stay-at-home order,” Adams said on Wednesday.

Founder of Microsoft and philanthropist Bill Gates, who said Thursday that billions of dollars would be spent on factories to develop vaccines for COVID-19, is booked on “Fox News Sunday.“

“So, for example, there’s — of all the vaccine constructs, the seven most promising of those — even though we’ll end up picking at most two of them — we’re gonna fund factories for all seven,” Gates said.

The Democratic National Convention announced Thursday that the four day nominating convention initially slated for July would be postponed to Aug. 17 due concerns about the coronavirus.

On Wednesday former Vice President Joe Biden confirmed he was considering Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) as one of the women who could potentially end up being his running mate. Biden is booked for ABC’s “This Week,” with Whitmer, whose state has been hard-hit by the virus, is set to appear on “Fox News Sunday.”

Following new public health advice from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Friday, President Trump relayed the agency’s recommendation that suggests the public wear some form of fabric mask to prevent further spread of the virus.

Trump also said Friday he is confident the coronavirus would not delay the general election in November and has  rejected the idea of having every state prepare to conduct mail-in voting, citing concerns of fraud. The president’s attorney Rudy Giuliani and former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon are booked on Fox News’s “Sunday Morning Futures.” 

The Sunday talk show lineup is as follows: 

ABC’s “This Week” — Esper; Biden; Homer Venters, president, Community Oriented Correctional Health Services; Topeka K. Sam, co-founder, New Yorkers United for Justice.

NBC’s “Meet the Press” — Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte; Surgeon General Jerome Adams; Govs. Jay Inslee, (D-Wash.) and Asa Hutchinson (R-Ark.)

CBS’ “Face the Nation” — Fauci; Michael Dowling, CEO of Northwell Health; former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb; Luana Marques, president of the board of directors of the Anxiety and Depression Association of America; James Bullard, president of the St. Louis Federal Reserve.

CNN’s “State of the Union” — Esper; Govs. John Bel Edwards (D-La.); J.B. Pritzker (D-Ill.)

Fox News’s “Sunday Morning Futures” –– Stephen Hahn, FDA Commissioner; Giuliani; Steve Bannon, Former White House Chief Strategist; Rep. Doug Collins.

“Fox News Sunday” –– Adams; Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates; Whitmer, (D-Mich.)