President Trump on Friday touted recent progress in the battle against the coronavirus pandemic, as one-time “hot spots” like New York continue to report positive trends and an increasing number of governors announce plans to gradually reopen their states’ economies.
“We continue to see evidence that our aggressive strategy is working and working at a very high level,” Mr. Trump said at the daily White House coronavirus task force briefing.
He said the number of coronavirus tests that are coming back positive is declining across the country, including in “hot spots” like New York and Louisiana.
“18 states now show a decline in [the] number of positive tests in the last seven days,” the president said.
He also said half of Americans now live in states that have taken steps to start reopening their economies, naming California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, and Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee as examples of governors who have moved in that direction recently.
“We’re opening our country — it’s very exciting to see,” he said.
Mr. Trump did not answer questions at the comparatively short briefing, passing on a chance to mix it up with reporters in a back-and-forth that he typically appears to relish at the daily events.
He did face reporters earlier in the day at a signing ceremony for a new $484 billion economic rescue package.
Mr. Trump said then that he was sarcastically trolling the media when he had mused about injecting disinfectant as a possible treatment for the coronavirus at Thursday’s briefing.
