Donald Trump says press briefings 'not worth the time and effort' as disinfectant fallout continues

President Donald Trump says his press briefings are "not worth the time and effort" as his administration prepares to adjust his public presence.

Tweeting on Saturday, one of the few days in which he has not held a daily briefing since the start of the outbreak, Mr 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 came 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.

Mr Trump promoted the potential value of using ultraviolet light “inside the body” and about injecting disinfectant into patients, leaving his coordinator of the pandemic task force, Dr Deborah Birx, an eminent HIV immunologist, looking on aghast.

The comments have been mocked and criticised for his comments, which go against all medical advice.

The White House claimed Friday that Mr Trump was misinterpreted, though the president later asserted he was speaking "sarcastically."

During his media conference on Friday he walked out before taking any questions from the press after an incredibly short 22-minute briefing.

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