Donald Trump did the strangest and most news-making thing he could have ever done. The US president gave a short pre-written speech and then walked off the stage instead of answering questions from journalists, dominating the nation’s airwaves yet again.

The unpredictable end of Friday night’s daily press conference, which has become a ribald, unruly, and often shocking ritual in America during the coronavirus pandemic, was probably the most definite sign of how badly Trump’s bizarre statements over disinfectant have shocked his administration.

Instead of stepping on the offensive after the world reacted with shock and horror to his Thursday night idea that the coronavirus might be managed by injecting disinfectant into a human body. Trump later said he was being “sarcastic” and then retreated from public view.

The New York Times reported that some of the officials in the White House were of the opinion that “it was one of the worst days in one of the worst weeks of his presidency.”

However, it was Trump’s silence on Friday night that spoke volumes.

White House coronavirus taskforce briefings are usually two-hour primetime marathons, but on Friday, Trump turned on his heel as reporters asked questions in vain. Maybe it was a fit of pique, or perhaps some sort of vendetta against the reporters that he sees as enemies. He might have reached a tipping point, with his own advisors warning that the televised briefings are tarnishing his image far more than they can help.