Trump questions holding daily press briefings after backlash over disinfectant comments

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U.S. President Donald Trump said his press briefings are "not worth the time and effort" as his administration prepares to adjust his public presence amid the COVID-19 pandemic toward addressing the nation's economic woes.

Tweeting on Saturday, one of the few days in which he has not held a daily briefing since the start of the outbreak, Trump said: "What is the purpose of having White House News Conferences when the Lamestream Media asks nothing but hostile questions, & then refuses to report the truth or facts accurately."

The president's tweet comes two days after he used a briefing to muse about the injection of chemical disinfectants, drawing warnings from manufacturers and the nation's top medical professionals. The White House claimed Friday that Trump was misinterpreted, though the president later asserted he was speaking "sarcastically."

His tweet questioning the value of press briefings also comes as White House aides are developing plans to shift the president's public emphasis from the virus to addressing the economic crisis it has caused and the government's plans for reopening the economy.