Marygrace Vadala's 82-year-old mother had been a fan of U.S. President Donald Trump since his days hosting the reality TV show "The Apprentice." She enthusiastically voted for him in 2016.

But in the first weeks of the coronavirus pandemic, as the two watched daily White House briefings, Vadala's mom — Grace Webber — voiced her first doubts.

"Why isn't he listening to the medical experts?" Vadala, a 48-year-old home care nurse, recalled Webber asking.