Trump tried to blame Black Lives Matter protests for the coronavirus surge. Data doesn’t support his claim.

One of the obvious reasons that President Trump has resumed regular coronavirus press briefings is poll data. Recent data indicating broad skepticism about Trump’s handling of the pandemic and increased support for his probable opponent in November’s election clearly spurred the White House to resume the briefings, in the hope that voters would shift their perceptions of how Trump has handled the crisis.

Trump, never a staunch adherent to the concept of subtlety, tried to put a fine point on where he thinks blame should lie for the recent surge in new cases.

“There are likely a number of causes for the spike in infections,” he said. “Cases started to rise among young Americans shortly after demonstrations, which you know very well about, which presumably triggered a broader relaxation of mitigation efforts nationwide.” Continue reading.