President Trump predicts ‘95,000, maybe more’ will die from virus
WASHINGTON, DC -- President Donald Trump predicted Friday that the coronavirus pandemic could kill “95,000 people ultimately” across the U.S. — again subtly adding to the numbers he has been using.
More than 76,000 people have died due to the virus in the U.S. already, according to a daily tally tracked by Johns Hopkins University.
Speaking with Republican members of Congress, Trump said that mitigation efforts helped limit the number of deaths from the outbreak but, “We may be talking about 95,000 people ultimately, we may be talking about something more than that."
He added that one death from coronavirus is unacceptable “let alone perhaps a 100,000.”
Trump had projected between 50,000 to 60,000 U.S. deaths from the coronavirus at a White House press briefing on April 20.
During a Fox News town hall on Sunday, Trump suggested the number would be closer to 80,000 to 90,000 people.
Meantime, Trump on Friday also downplayed April's 14.7% unemployment rate amid the pandemic, claiming that "those jobs will be back and they'll be back very soon."
“It's fully expected, there's no surprise, everybody knows this," he told "Fox and Friends" earlier in the day.
Trump also said he will "probably" have an antibody test for the coronavirus. It was revealed Thursday he had tested negative for the virus after contact with a military service member who had tested positive -- a personal valet who had brought him Diet Cokes in the Oval Office.
Trump said he last had contact with the valet on Tuesday. He's said he will now get daily testing, even as he's rejected as impractical similar testing for Americans he's encouraging to go back to work.
