John Fleming, Assistant to the President and native Mississippian, talks COVID-19 response with YP

Mississippi native Dr. John Fleming is currently serving in the Trump Administration as the Assistant to the President for Planning and Implementation.  In that role, he is active in the meetings of the White House’s Coronavirus Task Force.

Fleming spoke with Y’all Politics today, offering his perspective on the challenges the Administration has faced during the pandemic and what Americans should know that is often missed by the mainstream media.  He also spoke highly of the leadership in Mississippi under Governor Tate Reeves and commented on how Mississippi is weathering the health crisis.

Questions posed by Y’all Politics to Dr. Fleming include:

1. First, if you will, tell our listeners a little about yourself and your background.

2. Given your medical experience, your participation in the White House Coronavirus task force meetings seems like a natural fit, not to mention your time serving in Congress. From your perspective, what challenges has the Administration faced in guiding the nation through this pandemic?

3. There is a great deal of misinformation often spun by opponents of this White House. For our listeners in Mississippi, what would you say to them about the actual current state of the pandemic both in our state and nationally? What should they know that perhaps is getting missed?

4. I’m sure you keep up with the happenings in Mississippi, Louisiana and other areas. What is your perception on how Mississippi is weathering COVID-19?

View his responses in the video below.

Fleming was born and raised in the Meridian area, graduating from Meridian High School and going on to attend the University of Mississippi.  He graduated from Ole Miss in 1973 and went on to earn a medical degree from UMMC in 1976.

Dr. Fleming then served in the U.S. Navy until 1982 when he moved to Louisiana with this family to establish a family practice.  He is a successful businessman who has invested in franchising Subway Restaurants and UPS Stores from Texas to Mississippi.

He won a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives from Louisiana’s 4th District in 2008, only the second Republican to hold that seat since Reconstruction, and served there until 2017 when he was named Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health Information Technology Reform.

Dr. Fleming then served as Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development from 2019 until March on this year when he assumed his current role at the White House.