Trump says he'll release guidelines on reopening economy today
Highlights from Wednesday's briefing:
- Trump said he'll release guidelines for reopening the country Thursday, April 16.
- Trump said he might adjourn Congress so he can make recess judicial appointments.
- Nearly 28,000 Americans have died from COVID-19.
President Trump announced he'll be releasing guidelines on Thursday on how to begin to reopening the economy. Mr. Trump insists he has total authority in the decision but is authorizing the states to reopen their economies individually.
"It's very exciting. It's been a horrible time to see such death and destruction," the president said Wednesday night during the daily Coronavirus Task Force briefing.
Mr. Trump said he'll make that announcement after speaking to all governors. Some states, he said, can probably "open up" before May 1, while others might have longer timelines.
"We'll be the 'comeback kids.' All of us, all of us," the president said.
Mr. Trump also threatened to adjourn both chambers of Congress so he can make his recess appointments. The president vented that he has too many open positions that need to be filled, particularly during a pandemic.
The president has faced criticism for his handling of the coronavirus crisis in the early days of the epidemic, but has put the blame on China and the World Health Organization.
On Tuesday, the president said his administration will withhold funding to the agency "while a review is conducted to assess the WHO's role in severely mismanaging and covering up the spread of the coronavirus."
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres issued a statement Tuesday night saying it's "not the time to reduce the resources for the operations of the World Health Organization or any other humanitarian organization in the fight against the virus," while other nations defended the WHO.
There have been nearly 2 million confirmed cases of the coronavirus worldwide, including more than 600,000 in the U.S. Nearly 28,000 Americans have died, according to Johns Hopkins University data.