Covid 19: Donald Trump cancels coronavirus briefings, says they're 'not worth the effort'

US President Donald Trump speaks during a signing of a coronavirus aid package to direct funds to small businesses, hospitals, and testing, in the Oval Office of the White House. Photo / AP

President Donald Trump on Saturday cancelled his near-nightly Covid-19 press conference, instead tweeting that the briefings are "not worth the time and effort".

Taking to Twitter, Trump questioned the purpose of the briefings, taking aim at reporters for their "hostile questions".

He tweeted it was a waste of time, blaming media for refusing to "report the truth or facts accurately".

"What is the purpose of having White House News Conferences when the Lamestream Media asks nothing but hostile questions, & then refuses to report the truth or facts accurately," he tweeted.

"They get record ratings, & the American people get nothing but Fake News. Not worth the time & effort!"

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

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 25, 2020

In recent weeks Trump has used the briefings to discuss unproven and debunked medical advice, suggesting that things like sunlight and an anti-malaria drug are cures to Covid-19.

It has often caused his own medical experts to try to correct the record.

Trump created a stir on Thursday after bumbling through his briefing, where he discussed allowed the theory of curing Covid-19 by injecting people with household disinfectants.

The millionaire real estate mogul turned US president then added: "I'm not a doctor".

"Supposing we hit the body with a tremendous, whether it's ultraviolet or just very powerful light? And I think you said, that hasn't been checked but you're going to test it," Trump asked a homeland security official.

US President Donald Trump speaks during a signing of a coronavirus aid package to direct funds to small businesses, hospitals, and testing, in the Oval Office of the White House. Photo / AP

"And then I said supposing you brought the light inside the body which you can do either through the skin or in some other way. And I think you said you're going to test that too. Sounds interesting," Trump said.

"And then I see the disinfectant, where it knocks it out in a minute, one minute, and is there a way we can do something like that? By injection inside or almost a cleaning. As you see it gets in the lungs, and it does a tremendous number on the lungs. So it would be interesting to check that," he added.

"So that you're going to have to use medical doctors. But it sounds interesting to me."

But speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on Friday, Trump insisted his comments were misconstrued.

"I was asking the question sarcastically to reporters like you, just to see what would happen," Trump said.