On the first day in weeks that the White House did not hold a press briefing on the coronavirus, US President Donald Trump lashed out at the news media for asking “hostile questions” and suggested his daily appearances were no longer worth his time.

“What is the purpose of havi ng White House News Conferences when the Lamestream Media asks nothing but hostile questions, & then refuses to report the truth or facts accurately,” Trump tweeted on Saturday night. “They get record ratings, & the American people get nothing but Fake News. Not worth the time & effort!”

The tweet came two days after Trump suggested at a briefing that an “injection inside” the human body with a disinfectant could help combat the coronavirus.

Despite a lack of scientific evidence, Trump has long trumpeted various ideas against the virus, like sunlight and warmer temperatures as well as an array of drugs, including the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine, which he has promoted as a “what have you got to lose” remedy. Medical experts have since stepped up warnings about the drugs’ possibly dangerous side effects.

Since Thursday’s assertion, Trump has been angrily tweeting about the unfairness of his coverage after a damaging news cycle his aides have privately admitted is self-inflicted. Officials have also said that they were sceptical that Trump would fully retreat from a scenario in which he took questions from reporters, even though he said the two-hour format of the briefings was not worth the effort.

Health shake-up plan

Officials inside the White House are also discussing replacing Alex M. Azar II, the health and human services (HHS) secretary, after a string of news reports about the administration’s slow response to the coronavirus and a separate controversy about an ousted department official, two senior administration officials said.

Mark Meadows, President Trump’s new chief of staff, is among the aides considering removing Azar once the height of the coronavirus crisis abates, the officials said. The discussions were first reported by Politico and The Wall Street Journal.

On Saturday, two senior administration officials said that no imminent changes were planned. Among the possible replacements are Seema Verma, the administrator of the Centres for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and Dr Deborah Birx, a key member of the coronavirus task force.

Trump has become angry with Azar in recent weeks, after stories in The Washington Post and The New York Times detailed decisions and discussions related to the administration’s response to the coronavirus.

Trump, who has closely followed the coverage, was upset that he was being blamed while Azar was portrayed in a more favourable light, aides said, adding that the President was also suspicious that Azar was trying to save his own reputation at the president’s expense.

Other officials were angry that, after Azar and other top HHS officials forced out Dr Rick Bright, the head of a key drug and vaccine development agency, Azar told Vice President Mike Pence in front of a crowded task force meeting that Dr Bright had been promoted.

But on Saturday, the White House issued a full-throated defence of Azar, calling the rumours false.

“The department of health and human services, under the leadership of secretary Azar, continues to lead on a number of the President’s priorities,” Judd Deere, a White House spokesman, said in a statement. “Any speculation about personnel is irresponsible and a distraction from our whole-of-government response to Covid-19.”