Trump: 'Certain people' want virus to hurt economy

President Donald Trump doubled down on his claim Wednesday that "certain people" in the media want the economy to suffer as a result of the coronavirus outbreak. Speaking during a White House briefing, Trump said "the media would like to see me do poorly in the election."

He was responding to a question from a reporter about his goal of reopening the economy by Easter and whether he had political motivations behind that goal.

"I think there are certain people that would like it not to open so quickly," he responded.

In a tweet posted earlier Wednesday, Trump wrote that: "The LameStream Media is the dominant force in trying to get me to keep our Country closed as long as possible in the hope that it will be detrimental to my election success. The real people want to get back to work ASAP. "

For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death.