Trump pushes economy reopening, says virus could kill 100K
Published:Monday | May 4, 2020 | 1:18 PM
WASHINGTON (AP) — Pushing to reopen the economy, President Donald Trump insists that states can gradually lift lockdowns and still protect people from the coronavirus pandemic, even as he’s also suggesting US deaths could reach 100,000.
The president, fielding questions from Americans Sunday night in a virtual town hall from the Lincoln Memorial, acknowledged valid fears on both sides of the issue.
Some people are worried about getting sick; others are reeling from lost jobs and livelihoods.
Trump increased his projection for the total US death toll to as many as 100,000 — up from the 60,000 figure he suggested just a few weeks ago.
More than 67,000 Americans are confirmed dead from the virus, according to a Johns Hopkins database.
“Look, we’re going to lose anywhere from 75,000, 80,000 to 100,000 people,” Trump said.
“That’s a horrible thing. We shouldn’t lose one person out of this. This should have been stopped in China.”
But he struck a note of urgency to restart the nation’s economy, declaring, “We have to get it back open safely but as quickly as possible.”
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