Trump: Reopen Country by Easter

Trump Wants U.S. ‘Opened Up’ by Easter Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

The president also criticized New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who said he expects the peak of his state’s outbreak to happen in 14-21 days, a timeline that includes Easter.

By Cecelia Smith-Schoenwalder, Staff Writer March 24, 2020, at 3:47 p.m.




“Our people want to go back to work,” President Donald Trump said at a Fox News town hall Tuesday. “We want to start up as soon as we can.”(Evan Vucci/AP)


President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he is aiming to get the economy back on track by Easter Sunday, less than three weeks away on April 12.

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"I would love to have the country opened up and just raring to go by Easter," Trump said at a Fox News town hall.

"Our people want to go back to work," he said. "We want to start up as soon as we can."

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Once several state stay-at-home orders and advisories start on Wednesday, more than 40% of the U.S. population will be affected. States across the country have overwhelmingly directed schools to close in an effort to prevent the spread of the virus.

But Trump qualified that some of the guidelines, like social distancing, increased hand washing and avoiding shaking hands, could still need to be practiced.

"I really believe we could do much of what we're doing … from a work environment," Trump said.

He reiterated a point he made at briefing Monday of the White House coronavirus task force, saying more people will "probably" die from reasons associated with the loss of jobs and businesses, like suicides, than the virus itself. 

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Trump also criticized New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who earlier on Tuesday said he expects the peak of his state's outbreak to happen in 14-21 days, a timeline that includes Easter.

Cuomo asked the federal government to step in and help provide ventilators, which are needed for the most critical patients. He said the state needs a total of 30,000 of the machines.

"We need the federal help and we need the federal help now," Cuomo said.

Vice President Mike Pence told Fox News that 2,000 ventilators from the government's stockpile were shipped to New York earlier on Tuesday and 2,000 more will ship Wednesday.

But Trump hit back at Cuomo, echoing a claim in a New York Post opinion piece from former New York Lt. Gov. Betsy McCaughey, who said the governor failed to order 16,000 ventilators in 2015.

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"I'm not blaming him or anything else, but he shouldn't be talking about us," Trump said. "He's supposed to be buying his own ventilators."

Trump noted that the federal government is helping New York build four new medical centers to help respond to the influx of patients.

"We're working along with him and then I watch him on the show complaining, and he could've had 16,000 that he could've had at a great price and he didn't buy them," Trump said.

Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, was noticeably absent from Monday's task force briefing and the town hall, but Trump said his relationship with the doctor is going well.

Cecelia Smith-Schoenwalder, Staff Writer

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