Donald Trump knows that the media covering his daily briefings on the Coronavirus need a story to obsess over and hurl insults at him. No matter what he and his team say, it is certain that media coverage will find something outrageous to fulminate about.

Thus, when he plans his remarks, he uses their predictability against them, to accomplish his own goals. That’s what happened yesterday when he announced, as The Hill reported:

“For the purpose of creating conflict and confusion, some in the Fake News Media are saying that it is the Governors decision to open up the states, not that of the President of the United States & the Federal Government. Let it be fully understood that this is incorrect,” Trump tweeted Monday morning. “It is the decision of the President, and for many good reasons. With that being said, the Administration and I are working closely with the Governors, and this will continue,” Trump continued. “A decision by me, in conjunction with the Governors and input from others, will be made shortly!”

The president was chumming the waters, well aware that media sharks would not be able to control themselves. As soon as VP Pence took the podium, an eager reporter sought (and failed) to get him to distance himself:

Vice President Pence later backed up Trump, describing the president’s authority during a national emergency as “unquestionably plenary.”

As a result, last night and this morning, we have a blizzard of articles affirming the relevance of federalism. As Roger Luchs sagely observed in an email to me:

He has gotten a number of very liberal governors to announce that they believe in federalism. That has never been the message of the Democrat party. It will come in handy as November approaches

Behold Trump’s latest magic trick:

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