Trump wants to switch focus, push for economic reopening

Anxious to spur an ecomic recovery without risking lives, President Donald Trump insists that “you can satisfy both” — see states gradually lift lockdowns while also protecting people from coronavirus pandemic that has killed more than 66,000 Americans.

president, fielding questions from Americans Sunday night in a virtual town hall from Lincoln Memorial, ackwledged valid fears on both sides of issue. Some people are worried about getting sick; ors are reeling from lost jobs and livelihoods.

But while Trump increased his projection for total U.S. death total to 80,000 or 90,000 — up by more than 20,000 fatalities from what he had suggested just a few weeks ago — he struck a te of urgency to restart nation’s ecomy, declaring “we have to reopen our country.”

“We have to get it back open safely but as quickly as possible,” Trump said.

After more than a month of being cooped up at White House, Trump returned from a weekend at Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland for virtual town hall hosted by Fox News Channel.

president said of his monumental backdrop: “We never had a more beautiful set than this.”

As concerns mount about his reelection bid, Trump stuck to his relentlessly optimistic view of nation’s ability to rebound soon.

“It is all working out,” Trump said. “It is horrible to go through, but it is working out.”

Many public health experts believe nation cant safely reopen fully until a vaccine is developed. Trump declared Sunday that he believed one could be available by year’s end.

U.S. public health officials have said a vaccine is probably a year to 18 months away. But Dr. Anthony Fauci, nation’s leading expert on infectious diseases and member of White House coronavirus task force, said in late April that it is conceivable, if a vaccine is soon developed, that it could be in wide distribution as early as January.

Though administration’s handling of pandemic, particularly its ability to conduct widespread testing, has come under fierce scrutiny, president tried to shift blame to China and said U.S. was ready to begin reopening.

“I’ll tell you one thing. We did right thing and I really believe we saved a million and a half lives,” president said. But he also broke with assessment of his senior adviser and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, saying it was “too soon to say” federal government had overseen a “success story.”

Trump’s impatience also flashed. While ting that states would go at ir own pace in returning to rmal, with ones harder hit by coronavirus going slower, he said that “some states, frankly, I think aren’t going fast eugh.” He singled out Virginia, which has a Democratic goverr and legislature. And he urged nation’s schools and universities to return to classes this fall.

Federal guidelines that encourd people to stay at home and practice social distancing expired late last week.

Debate continued over moves by goverrs to start reopening state ecomies that tanked after shopping malls, salons and or nessential businesses were ordered closed in attempt to slow a virus that has killed more than 66,000 Americans, according to a tally of reported deaths by Johns Hopkins University.

U.S. ecomy has suffered, shrinking at a 4.8% annual rate from January through March, government estimated last week. And roughly 30.3 million people have filed for unemployment aid in six weeks since outbreak forced employers to shut down and slash ir workforces.

president’s advisers have nervously watched Trump’s support slip in a number of battleground states and he was told last month that if election were held that day, he would lose to Democrat Joe Biden. president’s aides believe restarting ecomy, even with its health risks, is essential to a victory in vember and are pushing for him to pivot away from discussions about pandemic and onto an American comeback story.

To that end, Trump will begin traveling again, with a trip to a mask factory in Arizona planned for Tuesday. president also is set to speak in June at commencement for U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Returning to campus for commencement will require graduates to self-isolate for 14 days, but Trump insisted event poses risk to cadets.

town hall, which included an appearance by Vice President Mike Pence, included a rare mea culpa: vice president said he should have worn a facemask during a visit last week to Minnesota’s Mayo Clinic. Pence’s failure to wear a mask violated clinic’s guidelines and drew significant criticism.

Elsewhere in Washington, Senate planned to reopen Monday, despite area’s continued status as a virus hot spot and with region still under stay-at-home orders. House remains shuttered as debate continues on what next st of ecomic recovery may look like.

State and local governments are seeking up to $1 trillion in coronavirus costs, which has been met with some objections by congressional Republicans.

Trump said that while he thought common ground could be found with Democrats over an infrastructure pack, “we’re t doing anything unless we get a payroll tax cut. That is so important to success of our country.”

That proposal has been met with objections from both parties.

leaders of California and Michigan are among goverrs under public pressure over lockdowns still in effect while states such as Florida, Georgia and Ohio are reopening.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, said Sunday that armed protesters who demonstrated inside her state’s Capitol “depicted some of worst racism” and “awful parts” of U.S. history by showing up with Confederate flags, oses and swastikas.

Trump on Sunday night singled out Whitmer and Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, also a Democrat, for criticism even as he praised federal coordination with most goverrs. He also complained that some Democrats would rar “people get sick” than given him any credit for pushing use of a malaria drug for treating COVID-19, though it has t been proven to be safe and effective for that use.