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Trump Back to Criticizing Governors for Re-Opening Too Slowly

Trump Back to Criticizing Governors for Re-Opening Too Slowly

President Donald Trump said a number of governors are moving too slowly to open their states’ economies amid the coronavirus pandemic -- a shift from last week when he praised social distancing measures and state executives.

“I really do believe a lot of the governors should be opening up states that they are not opening,” Trump told reporters Monday at an event in North Carolina. “And we’ll see what happens with them.”

After the virus surged in the southern and western U.S. and Trump fell behind Democrat Joe Biden in polls nationally and in key states, the president last week adjusted his message during rebooted coronavirus briefings for reporters. He took a more conciliatory tone toward governors and praised the use of masks and other measures to avoid spreading the virus.

Trump Back to Criticizing Governors for Re-Opening Too Slowly

Trump’s comments on Monday about reopening are similar to those the president made earlier in the pandemic when he frequently lashed out at governors. Trump didn’t single out any states or governors for criticism Monday.

The White House’s own re-opening guidelines recommend that states should see declines in new cases or positive test rates for 14 days before easing restrictions. Speaking to reporters last Tuesday, Trump said the pandemic, “will probably, unfortunately, get worse before it gets better.”

Coronavirus cases in the U.S. increased 1.3% Monday as compared with the same time Sunday to 4.27 million, according to data collected by Johns Hopkins University and Bloomberg News. The increase was below the average 1.7% daily gain over the past week. Deaths rose 0.3% to 147,209.

Also on Monday, Trump repeated his assertion that the economy is rebounding. “Whether it’s a pure V or a little bit less than that, I think it’s going to be very good,” Trump said. “If, therapeutically, we come up with some answers very quickly, which I think we will, then you’re going to have a tremendous recovery.”

©2020 Bloomberg L.P.