"Nasty," Donald Trump calls one reporter. "Third-rate," he brands another. The US president seems to loathe journalists but at his tempestuous coronavirus press conferences he just keeps coming back for more.
Every day for weeks now, Trump has spent up to two hours of primetime television delivering his unique blend of insults, jokes and cheerful boasts.
The briefings began as a way to inform an anxious nation on the Covid-19 emergency, turning health officials, like infectious diseases specialist Anthony Fauci, into household names.
The usually bland vice president Mike Pence has won respect for his calm but unvarnished updates on the numbers of the sick and dead.