“The watchword from here has to be action,” said a Republican who speaks to Trump. “Checks on the way. Treatments being tried. Travel bans in place. Information conveyed, in real time.”

Trump allies who were confident about the president’s reelection prospects just weeks ago — thanks to a strong economy and record stock market — have begun to fret as they see him being blamed by state and local leaders, members of Congress and public health officials for failing to quickly test patients and distribute masks, ventilators and other supplies. The number of confirmed cases in the U.S. stood at nearly 50,000 by the end of Tuesday with more than 600 deaths — and the worst has yet to come.

Already, Trump critics are blasting Trump for his handling of the crisis. Priorities USA, the Democrats’ leading super PAC, is l aunching a $6 million ad campaign on Tuesday in the battleground states of Florida, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Republicans for the Rule of Law, conservatives who oppose Trump, aired its first ad on coronavirus last week.

Still, there’s some indication the Trump team’s efforts are working. Fifty-five percent of Americans approve of his management of the coronavirus outbreak, compared with 43 percent who disapprove, according to a ABC/Ipsos poll released late last week. The numbers were nearly reversed the week before when 43 percent approved and 54 percent disapproved.

Trump has been fighting back through his now-daily news conferences at the White House, boasting his administration has done an “extraordinary” and “incredible job,” while falling back on a familiar tactic of blaming the media.

Trump allies said the campaign had no choice but to do what it always does when a crisis engulfs the presidency, from impeachment to the threat of war with Iran: quickly and quietly follow the president’s lead — pushing out new talking points, buying new Facebook ads and lining up voices to defend the president forcefully.

“I think the president's people are adjusting their campaign very quickly,” said a Republican who is a friend of the president.

The Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee have scrapped MAGA campaign rallies and other events, shifting training and other events online, including last week’s national day of action and national week of training. But their main task these days is coronavirus.

They‘ve been sending rapid-response emails to reporters, firing off emails and text messages to millions of supporters, issuing daily talking points to surrogates, posting social media messages and booking surrogates on TV and radio, according to a RNC official.

“The American people have seen President Trump respond to this crisis with bold leadership and decisive action, and he will emerge from this with a strong record of results, putting him in a stronger position than any Democrat candidate,” RNC National Press Secretary Mandi Merritt said.