Pence will reportedly approve all government messaging about coronavirus

(Image credit: NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP via Getty Images))

published 27 February 2020

Vice President Mike Pence won't just be behind the scenes — he'll be the star of the show.

After President Trump announced on Wednesday night that Pence will lead the government's response to the coronavirus outbreak, The New York Times reported Thursday Pence would also run the government's messaging on the issue.

Pence will reportedly approve all coronavirus messaging by government health officials, including both public statements and public appearances. "Officials insist the goal is not to control the content of what subject-matter experts and other officials are saying," writes the Times, "but to make sure their efforts are being coordinated, after days of confusion with various administration officials showing up on television."

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There are 81,000 confirmed cases of the coronavirus worldwide, with 60 in the United States. Nearly 3,000 people have died from the virus. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar was the initial lead in the coronavirus response, and will remain the chair of the government's task force, but the administration reportedly wants to show the very top of the executive branch is taking the matter seriously. Pence will become the face of the response so that all lawmakers and health officials have one person to turn to, the Times reports. As The Washington Post reports, selecting Pence as the coronavirus "czar" was bound to garner criticism, seeing as Pence was governor of Indiana during the state's worst-ever HIV outbreak. Critics said Pence's handling of the crisis and policies cutting public health spending worsened the outbreak.

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Summer Meza has worked at The Week since 2018, serving as a staff writer, a news writer and currently the deputy editor. As a proud news generalist, she edits everything from political punditry and science news to personal finance advice and film reviews. Summer has previously written for Newsweek and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, covering national politics, transportation and the cannabis industry.