On Wednesday, the Wall Street Journal editorial page issued a rare, blistering critique of Donald Trump. Coming from the most reactionary, right-wing opinion page in the country, the editorial was stunning, to say the least. The Journal’s editors basically implied that Trump was hurting himself in his daily “press briefings,” that his self-absorbed, narcissistic attacks on the media were not resonating with ordinary Americans, and that he should strongly consider stepping back and letting either Mike Pence or medical experts take center stage during such briefings.

In other words, it was a not-so-thinly veiled warning, coming from the highest echelons in the Republican Party.

Here was Trump’s response, on a day in which New York state alone reported 799 COVID-19 deaths in the previous 24-hour period.

x The Wall Street Journal always Ã¢ÂÂforgetsÃ¢ÂÂ to mention that the ratings for the White House Press Briefings are Ã¢ÂÂthrough the roofÃ¢ÂÂ (Monday Night Football, Bachelor Finale, according to @nytimes) & is only way for me to escape the Fake News & get my views across. WSJ is Fake News! Ã¢ÂÂ Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 9, 2020

Please proceed, Donald.