blogged by @_cierra.jones
Donald Trump sat down with ABC’S David Muir in his first non-Fox interview in five months to discuss reopening the country, as many states have already begun the process to do so. During the sit-down interview, Muir asked if reopening the country was the hardest decision that he has ever had to make. Trump responded, saying, “The decision to close the country was the biggest decision that I have ever made. We had the greatest economy in history, in the history of the world. […] We saved millions of lives by doing it, and by putting the ban on China very early was a big thing [too].”
He continued, “[Reopening the country] is now also a big decision, but the people want to go back to work.”
For citizens that are returning to work, Trump said that “they should have, no problem” getting tested if they feel that they have been exposed to the coronavirus or are concerned.
When asked about the historic $2 trillion stimulus bill that was approved by the Senate to help businesses stay open and Americans employed, Trump professed, “I want to be a cheerleader for our country.”
As multiple states continue to loosen their restrictions and reopen local businesses (salons, gyms, malls), scientists and experts are worried that allowing citizens to comeback together too soon can result in more deaths. The current U.S. death toll is 70,646, according to Johns Hopkins University.
During the interview, Muri re-read a statement made by Dr.Fauci, a member of the White House coronavirus task force, from the previous night (May 4) on reopening the country.
“It’s the balance of something that’s a very difficult choice,” Dr. Fauci said. “How many deaths and how much suffering are you willing to accept to get back to where you want to be?”
Muri, then, asked Trump if Dr.Fauci’s statement was America’s reality, questioning if he believed that more deaths will occur in order for the country to reopen.
In response, Trump said, “It’s possible there will be some [deaths] because you won’t be locked into an apartment or a house or whatever it is. 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. We have to get our country back.”
On whether or not there will be a vaccine available to Americans, Trump said: “I can’t be convinced of anything.”
However, the Celebrity-in-Chief did note that the search for a vaccine is going well. He highlighted companies such as Oxford and Johnson and Johnson as doing a good job of getting the United States closer to having some sort of vaccination for the coronavirus.
“I think that we have a really good shot of having something very, very substantial,” he said.
But for the 70k + families that lost their loved ones to the deadly coronavirus, Trumps would like for them to know, “I love you,” Trump said. “We’re with you… “We’re doing everything we can….[And], there’s nobody that’s taking [the coronavirus deaths] harder than me. But, at the same time, I have to get this enemy defeated.”
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