“President Donald Trump tried Tuesday to cast himself as the wise leader who rejected the advice of a “group” of people who had portrayed the coronavirus as a mere flu and had argued that life should go on as normal. He did not mention that he had been the most powerful member of that group.” As the president, at long last, and at least for now, came to terms with America’s horrific death projections, some pundits were ready to turn him into Abe Lincoln. Daniel Dale has been realtime factchecking Trump for years. He does the same for Trump’s attempt to erase his previous coronavirus response.

+ Gabe Sherman: Poll numbers—and a friend in a coma—pushed Trump to reverse course.

+ Of course, it’s not just about reversing course in terms of messaging and accepting reality. That delay delayed everything else. The administration needs to reverse course when it comes to executing a plan. Some examples. NPR: FEMA Hadn’t Ordered Ventilators. Manufacturers Forged Ahead Anyway. CNN: Pentagon says it still hasn’t sent ventilators because it hasn’t been told where to send them. And Politico: “Last week, a Trump administration official working to secure much-needed protective gear for doctors and nurses in the United States had a startling encounter with counterparts in Thailand. The official asked the Thais for help—only to be informed by the puzzled voices on the other side of the line that a U.S. shipment of the same supplies, the second of two so far, was already on its way to Bangkok.”

+ The latest White House projections finally convinced Florida’s Ron DeSantis to order a statewide shutdown. Wall Street is seeing the same reality we are. Governors beg for more supplies. And before you get too used to the new Trump, know this: He just rejected an Obamacare special enrollment period amid the pandemic. Here’s the latest from the NYT.

+ The numbers that scared the non-believers into reality are available here.