This was followed by a disconcerting briefing at the White House. Conflicting messages about when to restart the economy, the need for testing and the possibility of a resurgence of the virus combined with Trump's effort to remove the jarring facts with his insistence that the end of a nightmare likely to last several more months is near.
In another bizarre twist, Trump produced Robert Redfield, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to reconsider his remarks that the coronavirus challenge may be more difficult in the fall.
Trump has claimed that Redfield was "completely misunderstood" by the media. But under questioning of the journalists, Redfield confirmed that he had in fact made the remarks which angered Trump.
"I am quoted with precision in the Washington Post," he conceded, while Trump replied that the title was false. He accurately described Redfield warning that if a coronavirus resurgence occurs during the flu season, hospitals could be overwhelmed.
The president also openly confronted key public health officials over the likelihood of the virus coming back for another attack in the fall - claiming that only "embers" of the disease were likely to be easily wiped out.
The president broke up with Georgia's Republican governor Brian Kemp, saying he "strongly disagreed" with aggressive plans to open businesses, including hair salons, on Friday as southern states pro- Trump is looking to ease home orders.
But his rebuke followed the days of Trump, but prompted conservative southern states to open, even though many still don't follow White House opening guidelines. And a source close to calls between Trump and Vice President Mike Pence and the Governor of Georgia said the two men expressed support and praise for Kemp's decision to reopen the companies.
Wednesday's show, orchestrated by Trump in his campaign style talk, is unlikely to allay fears amidst tired Americans staying home but wary of returning to normal life.
It has also exacerbated the constant impression that the changing positions of the president are based more on intuitions and his political demands than on a factual reading of the progress of the crisis which is far from subsiding.
Senior official said he was ousted from Trump-approved treatments
The drama involving Dr. Rick Bright, who headed the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, seemed to be the last occasion that a senior official contradicting Trump's causes of choice paid for his work.
Bright said he was transferred to another job because of his "insistence that the government invest the billions of dollars allocated by Congress to treat Covid-19 in safe, scientifically approved solutions, not drugs , vaccines and other technologies that have no scientific value. "
But a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services said Bright himself had researched choloquine, one of the controversial treatment drugs.
"With regard to chloroquine, Dr. Bright asked the Food and Drug Administration for emergency use authorization for the chloroquine donations that Bayer and Sandoz recently made to the national strategic stock for use on Covid-19 patients. The EUA is what made the donated product available for the fight against Covid-19, "said Caitlin Oakley, assistant secretary to the HHS.
Trump spent several weeks prescribing hydroxychloroquine to Covid-19 patients, claiming that doctors had little to lose by using a drug not clinically tested for the disease. A new study suggests, however, that the therapy may actually affect the prognosis of critically ill patients.
The president insisted he had nothing to do with the ouster of Bright.
"I've never heard of him. I don't know who he is," insisted Trump.
In astounding frank comments from his attorneys, Bright suggested that the Ministry of Health and Human Services management was not committed to following science and wanted to fund drugs promoted by Trump's political allies. He also claimed that the administration had attempted to dangerously expand the use of hydroxychloroquine and could even be life-threatening by pushing the drug, which is commonly used to treat lupus and other conditions.
"Getting out of the way in the midst of this pandemic and putting politics and cronyism before science puts lives at risk and slows national efforts to deal with this urgent and effective public health crisis," Bright wrote. "Rushing blindly to unproven drugs can be disastrous and lead to countless more deaths. Science, in the service of the health and safety of the American people, must always trump politics."
Weird Scene as Redfield Reverses Fall Warning
In another episode in which Trump appeared to challenge an established fact, the president said that Redfield had been "completely misunderstood" by the media. But under questioning from reporters, the CDC chief confirmed that he had in fact made the remarks that angered Trump.
"I am precisely quoted in the Washington Post," he said, before complaining about the title of an article in which he warned that if a coronavirus resurgence occurs at the same time as flu season, hospitals could be overwhelmed.
The appearance of Redfield, who was embarrassing to look at as a public servant was openly pressured by a president, appeared to have been ordered because his remarks contradicted Trump's optimistic promises that the pandemic was almost over.
We "can't even have a return crown," said Trump, countering most of the science of pandemics that suggest the disease will circulate until there is a vaccine or enough members of the public are infected to ensure herd immunity.
Trump then asked Dr. Deborah Birx, a senior member of the coronavirus task force, "Dr., wouldn't you say there's a good chance Covid won't come back?"
Birx replied, "We don't know."
Trump insisted "we could have embers, and we'll put them out - from the crown."
He refused to explain to reporters why he thought the illness would not return in the fall.
Trump undermines Georgia's opening
The president resisted pressure to curb the Georgia Kemp, which appeared to respond to Trump's calls for a reopening before May 1 with an aggressive plan.
But on Wednesday, he reversed course - at least in public, although sources close to calls from the president and Pence seem to indicate that the reprimand may have been more for public consumption than a slow opening.
"I think spas and beauty salons and tattoo parlors and hair salons ... is too early," said Trump, adding that he had told Kemp however that he had to make his own decisions .
Trump's return places Kemp in a difficult political position. But it does provide Trump with some coverage if Georgia's plans to open up its economy cause a spike in viral infections.
Kemp seems to be going ahead with his plans, although public discomfort with his approach and the undercutting of his ally's president could dampen the extent of the opening.
"We will continue this approach to protect the lives - and livelihoods - of all Georgians," Kemp tweeted. "Like the thousands of businesses currently operating throughout Georgia, I am confident that business owners who decide to reopen will adhere to basic minimum operations, which prioritize the health and well-being of employees and customers. . "
Fauci's emotional advocacy
Wednesday's briefing was marked by the reappearance of Fauci for the first time this week. The veteran infectious disease specialist was not afraid to adopt positions that imply strong disagreement with the president's positions.
"We must proceed in a very careful and measured manner," said Fauci, manifesting apparent disapproval of a group of southern states that seem to be putting aside the White House guidelines that call on states to record a 14-day drop in coronavirus infections. before thinking of limited openings.
"I advocate with the American public, governors, mayors, officials, although I know you need to jump over things, don't do it," said Fauci.
"Do it in a measured way. It is a successful formula. The problem is that if we do not do it, there is a good chance that we will have a rebound. And the only way not to reopen the economy is to have a rebound that we cannot deal with, "he added.
Several southern states - including Georgia, Florida, South Carolina and Texas - seem to want to heed the President's eagerness to open up the economy. This is even if the virus has not backed up enough to comply with White House guidelines in some cases. Yet other worst-hit states in the northeast, the Midwest, and the west are far from reopening.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Wednesday that he understood the political and economic pressures for the reopening. But he warned that states should not make "stupid" decisions that they might regret.
CNN's Kaitlan Collins, Kevin Liptak, Jim Acosta and Marshall Cohen contributed to this report.
