Trump news: President claims victory over coronavirus and says he's reopening in Easter because 'it's a beautiful time' - not on expert advice
President pushes for return to business as usual within weeks as US deaths climb and New York declared an epicentre of transmission for US
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As the World Health Organisation (WHO) warns the US could be the next coronavirus epicentre following a surge in cases and deaths to 43,925 cases and 547 respectively, Donald Trump is under fire for hinting at a return to business as usual within weeks, prioritising the health of the economy over that of Americans.
“We are watching a train wreck in slow motion,” commented former White House ethics chief Walter Shaub. “If Trump carries through on this threat to ‘open’ things up real soon, the death toll will be catastrophic.”
On Capitol Hill, Republican and Democratic senators have assured the public they are “very close” to agreeing terms on a $2trn (£1.7trn) stimulus bill and expect to finalise a deal on Tuesday.
The president appeared to declare victory over the virus — "we win" — as he looks to restart the US economy by Easter, despite no evidence that Americans can safely return to work without spreading the virus within three weeks.
During his White House briefing on Tuesday, the president said: "What timeline this would be."
But pressed on whether anyone in his administration has supported a rushed return to business as usual, the president said he thought it was a "beautiful time" and "based on a certain level of weeks" — but didn't say it was at the recommendation of health officials.
The administration also warned New Yorkers and anyone who recently travelled to the state to self-quarantine for up to two weeks as the city has become an "epicentre" of transmission in the US.
Asked whether the president has consulted with Governor Andrew Cuomo about those guidelines, which would impact millions of people in New York City while non-essential businesses are closed across the state, Mr Trump said the two are "talking".
The governor said he has "exhausted every option available to us" as the state has experienced a surge in confirmed cases, including nearly 15,000 in New York City alone.
"We are not slowing it, and it is accelerating on its own", he said on Tuesday as he dismissed the president's idea for Americans to return to work soon for the sake of the economy, potentially endangering more-vulnerable people and spreading the virus even further.
He said: "That's not the American way. That's not the New York way."
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Andrew Cuomo says he will 'turn this state upside down' to find hospital beds as New York cases rise to 25,665
The governor has been a tough, frank and compassionate presence throughout this crisis and now says his state needs 140,000 beds to deal with the crisis, pledging to find them.
THIS is how it's done, by the way.
Trump asked South Korea for coronavirus help in return for business deals
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Doc Fauci says rumours of rift with Trump 'unfortunate'
Trump apparently won't be taking part in the Fox town hall for another hour, he says, although Mike Pence and the task force will take questions in the interim.
In the meantime, Dr Fauci has been on the radio talking down rumours of a rift between himself and the president:
Trump set to appears on Fox News virtual town hall
The president has tweeted a teaser for his upcoming interview with Fox News. We'll bring you live updates as the come in.
Mike Pence says 'thousands' of chloroquine prescriptions have been sent 'across New York'
The vice president said doctors in New York state are able to begin prescribing chloroquine, an anti-malaria drug, to Covid-19 patients. Health officials have been adamant that clinical trials do not yet prove the drug is effective in treating patients who have contracted the novel coronavirus.
Donald Trump, however, has become a "big fan" of chloroquine. The Independent's Phil Thomas has more:
Mike Pence says 'no one under the age of 30 has died' of Covid-19 in Italy
The vice president was discussing how young people are far less likely to develop severe complications from the novel virus. That may be somewhat true, but it doesn't mean young people are invincible: children as young as three-years-old have died in other countries.
Trump says 'you can destroy a country this way' as health experts warn to self-isolate
The president said on Tuesday: “We lose thousands and thousands of people a year to the flu, we don’t turn the country off."
“We lose thousands of people a year to the flu," he added. "We have to get back to work.”
Trump says 'I would love to have the country opened up' by Easter
The president told Fox News he wants to have the country back opened by 12 April.
Trump says he has a 'very good' relationship with Dr Anthony Fauci
"These are great people ... Tony's extraordinary, I get along with all of them," the president said about his top health experts. "We're fine."
Trump says he wants quarantine over by Easter
The Independent's John Bennet has more: Donald Trump doubled down on his pledge to end a national shutdown over the coronavirus, arguing on Tuesday that a prolonged economic lapse could "destroy" the United States as he vowed to open the country by Easter.
"We lose thousands and thousands of people a year to the flu, we don't turn the country off," Mr Trump said during a Fox News virtual town hall from the White House. "We lose thousands of people a year to the flu. We have to get back to work. ... The faster we go back, the better."
A White House-established 15-day shutdown period ends on Monday, and Mr Tru
"I would love to have the country opened up and just raring to go by Easter," he said of 12 April.
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