President Donald Trump was a half hour into his press briefing Monday, touting the 1.8 million coronavirus tests he claimed had been conducted nationwide, when a question put him in a familiar position in his relations with the media: on the offensive.

That day, the internal watchdog for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services had issued a report revealing supply shortages and testing delays at hospitals responding to the crisis. At the mention of the inspector general report, Trump interrupted, cutting the question short.