President Trump pledged Tuesday to scrap nationwide coronavirus restrictions and “open” the country back up by Easter, warning without evidence that “thousands” of Americans will otherwise kill themselves.
Trump offered the ominous deadline during a virtual town hall event in the White House Rose Garden, claiming the consequences would be catastrophic if the U.S. isn’t back to normal by the April 12th holiday.
“You’re going to lose more people by putting the country into a massive recession or a depression,” the president said. “You’re going to have suicides by the thousands.”
Trump’s unsettling comments run counter to advice from most health experts, who say Americans must practice social distancing and stay at home from work for weeks or even months in order to slow the spread of the virus, which has already infected more than 50,000 people in the U.S. and killed at least 650.
Trump announced a 15-day plan to combat the virus last week that includes recommendations for all non-essential workers to stay home and a proposed ban on gatherings of more than 10 people. That plan expires on March 31, leaving a 12-day window before Easter.
“We’ll assess at that time and we’ll give it some more time if we need a little more time, but we need to open this country up,” Trump said in the Rose Garden.
Wall Street bounced back amid Trump’s Easter musings, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average shooting up more than 11%, its biggest one-day gain in nearly a century.
The market surge was likely also a product of Congress nearing a deal on an enormous $2 trillion economic stimulus plan, which will include subsidies for U.S. households as well as aid for small businesses and big industries impacted by the virus.
However, the massive relief package appeared to hit a snag, as negotiations continued behind closed doors late into the night Tuesday.
Earlier in the day, members on both sides of the aisle had voiced optimism about approving the deal within hours.
Senate Democrats have blocked the measure from advancing twice already this week over concerns that it’s not offering enough aid to workers while giving sweeping handouts to corporations.
Trump’s town hall, which was hosted by Fox News, featured some members of his coronavirus task force.
Some of them weren’t warm to the idea of reopening the country in time for Easter.
Dr. Deborah Birx, the coordinator for the task force, dodged when she was asked if she considered it sensible to lift social distancing guidelines so soon.
“My job, and I think what’s really important, is tackling this epidemic the way people said we should have tackled the flu in 1918,” Birx said, opting against giving a straight answer.
Trump quickly jumped in and contradicted her.
“You can’t compare this to 1918, where close to 100 million people died,” Trump said. “That was the flu, a little different.”
A coronavirus research team at the Imperial College of London concluded in a recent report that as many as 2.2 million people could die from the virus in the U.S. unless the Trump administration aggressively fights it on all levels of society. The report was shared with the White House earlier this month.
At a briefing after the Rose Garden town hall, Birx offered some alarming advice for anyone who has recently traveled from New York City, which is enduring the worst coronavirus outbreak in the country.
“Everybody who was in New York should be self-quarantining for the next 14 days to ensure that the virus doesn’t spread to others,” she said. “No matter where they have gone, whether it’s Florida or North Carolina or out to the far reaches of Long Island.”
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert and a member of the coronavirus task force, did not appear at Tuesday’s town hall.
Fauci, who has called for extensive restrictions to fight the virus, did not appear at a Monday night coronavirus briefing, either.
Trump shot down rumors that there’s friction between him and Fauci.
“We’re fine,” he said.
Fauci did appear at the post-town hall briefing and echoed Birx’s comments about New York.
“Obviously no one is going to want to tone down things when you see what’s going on in a place like New York City,” he said.
“New York City definitely is a very hot spot,” Trump added.
Vice President Mike Pence acknowledged NYC is now the epicenter. “We have to deal with the New York metropolitan area as a high-risk area,” he said, telling New Yorkers, “We are with you.”
In New York, Gov. Cuomo urged Trump to activate the Defense Production Act in order to mandate companies to ramp up the production of ventilators.
But Trump claimed at the White House briefing that things are going swimmingly without the 1950 law.
“We’re receiving full corporation from companies with the understanding that the federal government stands ready to compel cooperation if need be,” Trump said. “We haven’t found that to be the case.”
Cuomo and other governors say that by not activating the law, states are left to fight each other for the same supplies, resulting in price hikes and some equipment not ending up where it’s needed the most.
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