DOW/ECONOMY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “It was supposed to be a chance for President Donald Trump to sell the economic benefits of Republicans’ overhaul of the country’s tax code to the voters who will help decide this fall whether the GOP keeps its majority in Congress.
But it became clear to White House aides during Trump’s speech in Ohio on Monday [2-5-18] that the plunging stock market was quickly overshadowing the remarks, even though the president was delivering his greatest hits: bashing the media, slamming Democrats and fanning conspiracy theories about the ‘deep state.’
As he wrapped up his 47-minute speech, CNN, MSNBC and Fox News had already cut away, showing viewers how much the Dow Jones industrial average had plummeted over the course of the day.
White House aides quickly decided the administration needed to issue a formal response to the plunging stock market after months of jumping at the chance take credit for the record gains.”
-Andrew Restuccia and Christiano Lima, “White House moves to distance Trump from market plunge,” Politico, Feb. 5, 2018 06:54pm