'I think sometimes what I feel is better than what I think': Trump eyes post-Covid rebound

Trying to dispel ecomic gloom, President Donald Trump said Thursday he's anticipating a major rebound in coming months and a “spectacular” 2021. While ecomists are warning of serious long-term dam as country plunges into recession because of coronavirus, Trump is predicting a strong fourth quarter thanks to pent-up demand.

“I think we can actually surpass where we were,” Trump told reporters in Oval Office, while allowing he was relying on his gut.

“I feel it,” he said. "I think sometimes what I feel is better than what I think, unfortunately or fortunately.” Trump's comments came during a meeting with New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrats, who exchanged praise with Trump, despite past criticism. Trump said Murphy had “stepped up to plate,” while Murphy said Trump has delivered in his state's darkest hour.

“We've been crushed and appreciate your consideration on financial side as well," Murphy said, while telling Trump his state needs USD 20 billion to USD 30 billion just to keep firefighters, teachers, police officers and ors on job.

comments are latest sign that Trump is trying to turn p on virus, even as nation's death toll continues to climb and jobless claims rise. Trump had been hoping to ride a strong ecomy into ar four-year term, but virus and ecomic dam it has wrought upended that strategy.

But ecomists have waned a sharp comeback may t be realistic. y point to expected flare-ups that could force reopened businesses to shut down again, concerns that employees and consumers afraid of contracting virus could continue to stay home, and fact that shuttered business may t open again. With so much of ecomy paralyzed, Congressional Budget Office has estimated that ecomic activity will plunge this quarter at a 40% annual rate.

Trump has neless given consistently high marks to his administration's handling of virus, despite persistent criticism that he waited too long to act.

“I think we did a spectacular job,” he said, days after nation's death toll surpassed Vietnam War, with more than 60,000 dead and a million infected.

“I'm t even referring to me, I'm referring to all of se people, including your people who have been working with my people so closely," he told Murphy. “But federal government has done a spectacular job.” nation's top infectious disease expert said earlier Thursday that new cases of virus are a certainty as states begin to roll back restrictions. States need to proceed carefully as y take steps to reopen businesses and allow greater freedom of movement, Dr. Anthony Fauci said.

“We will get blips ... re's doubt,” Fauci told NBC's “Today” show. "When you pull back re will be cases, and what we need to do is make sure (states) have in place capability of identifying, isolating and contact tracing individuals.” Fauci urged states that don't have that capability to go very slowly. "You can't just leap over things and get into a situation where you're really tempting a rebound. That's thing I get concerned about," he said.

His warnings came a day after Trump said federal government would t extend its social distancing guidelines past Thursday, and Trump's son-in-law and adviser, Jared Kushner, predicted that by July country would be “really rocking again," despite health experts assessing that as highly unlikely.