05-05-2020, 07:24 PM
But Trump says to keep social distancing...and maybe die.
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-abcs-david-muir-covid-19-deaths-country/story?id=70515537
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-abcs-david-muir-covid-19-deaths-country/story?id=70515537
Quote:President Donald Trump said in an exclusive interview with ABC "World News Tonight" Anchor and Managing Editor David Muir on Tuesday that "it's possible there will be some" deaths as states roll back restrictions aimed at stopping the spread of the novel coronavirus, acknowledging that it was the choice the country faces to reopen and jumpstart the economy.
"Do you believe that's the reality we're facing that -- that lives will be lost to reopen the country?” Muir asked Trump during an interview in Phoenix, Arizona, on the president's first major trip in months since the virus outbreak worsened.
"It's possible there will be some because you won't be locked into an apartment or a house or whatever it is," Trump said. "But at the same time, we're going to practice social distancing, we're going to be washing hands, we're going to be doing a lot of the things that we've learned to do over the last period of time."
The nation's foremost infectious disease expert, Anthony Fauci, said in an interview with CNN on Monday that the decision to reopen states across the country amounted to balancing “how many deaths and how much suffering are you willing to accept to get back to what you want to be, some form of normality, sooner rather than later."
Tune into ABC at 1 p.m. ET and ABC News Live at 4 p.m. ET every weekday for special coverage of the novel coronavirus with the full ABC News team, including the latest news, context and analysis.
In arguing for the need to push states to reopen, Trump said social distancing restrictions had led to drug overdoses and suicides. "Take a look at what's going on," he said. "People are losing their jobs. We have to bring it back, and that's what we're doing."
MORE: In 1st major trip in months, President Trump to travel to battleground state Arizona to observe mask production
He encouraged the American people to view themselves as “warriors” as the urges the country to press forward toward an economic reopening, saying it’s not realistic to keep up strict social distancing guidelines in the long term.
“We can’t sit in the house for the next three years,” the president said.
Even as the president sought to prepare that “more death” ahead, he expressed optimism that the virus will go away, regardless of whether a vaccine is achieved.
“There'll be more death, that the virus will pass, with or without a vaccine. And I think we're doing very well on the vaccines but, with or without a vaccine, it's going to pass, and we're going to be back to normal. But it's been a rough process. There is no question about it,” Trump said.
The president’s optimistic outlook stands in contrast to the consensus of opinion among public health experts in warning that the virus will continue to pose a major risk until the time that there is effective treatment and vaccination.
Your anger and ego will always reveal your true self.