President Donald Trump signaled he may pivot in a new direction after the White House’s 15-day period of coronavirus response ends.
Trump, in an all caps-lock tweet blasted out at 11:50 p.m. EST on Sunday night, said America “cannot let the cure be worse than the problem itself.”
“AT THE END OF THE 15 DAY PERIOD, WE WILL MAKE A DECISION AS TO WHICH WAY WE WANT TO GO!”
Many took the tweet as an indication the president may urge businesses to re-open or Americans to get back to work, despite the dire warning from health experts that such a move would significantly increase the spread of coronavirus.
WE CANNOT LET THE CURE BE WORSE THAN THE PROBLEM ITSELF. AT THE END OF THE 15 DAY PERIOD, WE WILL MAKE A DECISION AS TO WHICH WAY WE WANT TO GO!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 23, 2020
The president’s tweet comes as the stock markets continue to plunge and some experts estimate close to 3 million Americans filed for unemployment in the week ending of March 14.
Last Monday, Trump and his coronavirus task force urged Americans to participate in a 15-day period of collective action that included working remotely, closing down certain businesses and practicing extreme social distancing. That 15-day period ends on Tuesday, March 31.
Reactions to Trump’s tweet were palpable on both sides of the aisle.
Conservative activist and writer John Bradford Williams wrote in a tweet the president was “absolutely right.”
Political scientist Brian Klaas tweeted, “Epidemiologists say that if the US were to only maintain small interventions for a short period of time, the US health care system would be overwhelmed [and] huge numbers of Americans would die (millions, according to a study by world-leading experts at Imperial College London).”
Here are other reactions to Trump’s tweet:
This is setting up a potential critical clash with state governors. They hold the police power in responding to public health emergencies in their state, not POTUS. He can't force them to re-open businesses if they deem the crisis severe enough to maintain closures. https://t.co/gzHGsT1BRw
— David French (@DavidAFrench) March 23, 2020
I was just saying a few hours ago that I thought people had forgotten the White House plan was for a 15-day period. https://t.co/HNcSlfNUlL https://t.co/LUwfRjGQzt
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) March 23, 2020
My man.
— Michael Knowles (@michaeljknowles) March 23, 2020
President @realDonaldTrump gets it! ⬇️ https://t.co/AK08eqWNQ6
He's telegraphing that they will encourage everyone to go back to doing whatever they want, because him and the rest of the American oligarchy cares more about stock prices than millions of Americans dying in the streets. https://t.co/XAQvp6ocCu
— John Iadarola (@johniadarola) March 23, 2020
YESSSSSSSS! Pedal to the metal to protect the over 70 crowd and let the rest of us resume life! https://t.co/BlOWQtGtFy
— Ann Coulter (@AnnCoulter) March 23, 2020
This is going to get millions of people killed, and a disproportionately large number of them will be his base https://t.co/knA0XZd3kL
— David Klion (@DavidKlion) March 23, 2020
The death toll from the virus hit 99 people in New York City alone on Sunday night and surpassed 10,000 total confirmed infections. Globally, there are over 349,000 confirmed cases, as of Monday morning, and more than 35,000 cases in the U.S.