As reporters pushed the president on why he would open up businesses when the country is seeing COVID-19 deaths occur at a faster rate, Trump said that more people would die from economic and social restrictions than from allowing the virus to spread.
“You have suicides over things like this, when you have terrible economies,” the president said, adding that “the cure has been very tough.”
CNN reporter Kaitlin Collins asked Trump if any doctors on his team have agreed with him that it’s the right decision to ease social-distancing guidelines in a matter of weeks.
“If it were up to the doctors, they may say, ’Let’s keep it shut down ― let’s shut down the entire world,” he said. “You can’t do that with a country ― especially the No. 1 economy anywhere in the world, by far … you can’t do that. It causes bigger problems than the original.”
Pressed again on whether any doctors have endorsed easing the guidelines soon, Trump said they have “not endorsed” but that “I think they’re OK with it, and I’m OK with it.”