White House says Trump ‘wants to see society reopened’ but we must do so safely
WASHINGTON, DC -- White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany on Tuesday afternoon urged Americans to follow social distancing guidelines from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, while also maintaining that President Trump "wants to see society reopened."
After defending spending part of his Memorial Day weekend golfing as "exercise" and re-tweeting a snide remark at his political opponent Joe Biden for wearing a mask, President Trump sent a clear message Tuesday morning that he wants states to open up "ASAP."
Trump tweeted: "States should open up ASAP. The Transition to Greatness has started, ahead of schedule. There will be ups and downs, but next year will be one of the best ever!"
While the president looks forward to a "strong third quarter," some states in lockstep with his agenda of an aggressive reopening are seeing new spikes.
McEnany was asked about the large crowds seen gathering during Memorial Day weekend, many of whom did not appear to be following social distancing guidelines.
"The President, as he's noted, he wants to see society reopened, wants to see the economy reopened. But we do want to do so safely," she said. McEnany noted that she attended a church service over the weekend, and people were socially distanced.
"Everyone, while you go out, let's keep cognizant the recommendations of the CDC," she said.
Trump's latest reopening push comes as the U.S. death toll from the coronavirus nears 100,000 lives, and after the World Health Organization warned of a "second peak" in the global pandemic.
In addition, the WHO has temporarily halted its global trial of hydroxychloroquine, an antimalarial drug promoted by President Trump, due to safety concerns.
The WHO's director general said in a briefing the "temporary pause" is in effect as safety data is being reviewed, while Trump has pointed to its "tremendous, rave reviews."
Trump also issued a threat to Gov. Roy Cooper of North Carolina, a Democrat, on Memorial Day that if the coronavirus restrictions in the state are not lifted, the Republican National Committee might move its August 2020 convention to Florida.
McEnany referred questions Tuesday on decision-making surrounding the president's threats to pull the GOP convention from North Carolina to the RNC and the Trump campaign, but suggested that the state's Democratic governor could use the coronavirus as a political excuse to restrict the event.
"The president wants to ensure that politics is not at play and determining how and when the convention can work," she said. "He wants to make sure a Democrat governor is not putting in place extraneous restrictions that would prohibit him from having the convention and holding it."
Gov. Cooper has been following federal guidelines in responding to the virus in his state, which saw its highest one-day spike in cases over the weekend.
