President Trump says “Our country wasn’t built to be shut down”

President Donald Trump opened the daily White House Monday briefing expanding on reports that he was considering loosening coronavirus guidelines amid growing economic fallout.

"Our country wasn't built to be shut down," he said emphatically.

"We cannot let the cure be worse than the problem itself. We're not going to let the cure be worse than the problem. At the end of the 15-day period, we'll make a decision as to which way we want to go," he said, referring to what he said was the coming "opening of our country."

"This was a medical problem, we're not going to let it turn it into a long-term financial problem," Trump declared. "We're just not going to let it happen."

He didn't offer an exact timeline but said it will be a "lot sooner than the three or four months that somebody was suggesting."

The View host Sunny Hostin actually claimed that Trump only wants to reopen the economy because it’s hurting his business:

She based her comments off those made by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who was on Tucker Carlson’s show essentially arguing that we shouldn’t lose our country in the process of trying to protect people from this virus. As someone turning 70 soon, Patrick basically suggested that his life is less important to him than leaving his kids the same great country he grew up in. He said he was heartened that Trump wants to get the country back running again soon and believes, as Trump said, we can both protect people and get the economy going again.

Of course Sonny Hostin twisted his comments around, suggesting he’s saying that the lives of our elderly are worth less than our kids having a good economy, and she called it disgusting and despicable. That’s how she starts out.

But then she pivots to Trump, claiming the main reason he wants to get the economy going again is because of his business and him wanting to line his pockets or something:

When you look at Trump’s personal businesses, you know that he is losing almost $500,000 a day because 6 out of his 7 hotels are losing money. They are shuttered every day, and that is why our Founding fathers put the emoluments clause into the Constitution, because our president should be more concerned about the lives of Americans rather than lining his own pockets and I think that’s what this is really about!

The vicious anti-Trump hatred from leftists truly knows no bounds. Trump is just a greedy monster to them, when there is just no proof of anything they are saying. It’s patently absurd and ridiculous.

If you want to hear Patrick’s comments on Tucker’s show to get the full context of his remarks, you can watch it below:

And more from Trump:

"If it were up to the doctors, they may say, 'Let's keep it shut down. Let's shut down the entire world because again you're up to 150 countries,'" Trump said, when asked whether any doctors on the task force agreed with his suggestion that social distancing guidelines will pay off in weeks not months.

"So, let's shut down the entire world and when we shut it down, that'd be wonderful, and let's keep it shut for a couple of years. We can't do that," Trump said.

Trump predicted "there will be tremendous death" from shutting down the economy and job losses, "probably" more than the disease would cause.

"Death, you know, we’re talking about death, probably more death from that than anything we are talking about with respect to the virus,” Trump said.

Comparing hot spots in some states to states with fewer reported cases of COVID-19, Trump said, "We will be quarantining many people in these areas. There are other areas that just aren't affected or they are affected very little."

On the Senate stimulus package, Trump said Republicans and Democrats "have no choice" but to reach a deal.

"Now, Congress must demonstrate the same bipartisanship again and join together to pass the Senate bill as written and avoid playing any more partisan games. They have to get together and just stop with the partisan politics. And I think that's happening," Trump said.

"I got a call a little while ago. I guess they're getting closer. Should go quickly. And must go quickly. It's not really a choice. Don't have a choice. They have to make a deal."

As Trump announced that New York would begin clinical trials on a drug he has touted as a possible treatment for the new coronavirus, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, was noticeably absent from the briefing.

Fauci has been clear that there is no evidence yet that the drug Trump has touted as one that can treat coronavirus -- as no drugs have been approved yet to treat the disease -- and the evidence, at this stage, is all anecdotal.

The drug, chloroquine, or hydroxychloroquine, has been approved to treat and prevent malaria since 1944. Trump said it would be paired with a commonly used antibiotic.

"I'm pleased to report that clinical trials in New York will begin existing -- for existing drugs that may prove effective against the virus. At my direction, the federal government is working to help obtain large quantities of chloroquine," Trump said.

"We're studying it very closely. Watching it very closely," Trump said.

The government is also monitoring other drugs as possible treatments, Trump said, but he said chloroquine "would be a gift from God" if it worked.

"You probably saw a couple articles today came out where a gentleman they thought he was not going to make it," Trump said, referring to a New York Post article he tweeted out earlier Monday. abiut a Florida man who reportedly had taken chloroquine.

"He said goodbye to his family. They had given him the drug just a little while before, but he thought it was over. His family thought he was going to die. And a number of hours later, he woke up, felt good, then he woke up again and he felt really good."

Asked about the apparent contradiction between the nation's rising death toll and his saying there's a need to quickly open businesses back up amid economic fallout, Trump insisted, "We can do two things at one time."

"Our country's learned a lot. We've learned about social distancing. We've learned about the hands. We've learned about staying away, at least during the time that this is even a little bit around. This disease or -- or whatever you want to call it. Many different names. You can call it many different names. But the virus, while it's around."

"Parts of our country are very lightly affected," Trump continued, downplaying the disease's toll on the Midwest. "You look at Nebraska. You look at Idaho. You look at Iowa ... And that are not affected to the same extent or, frankly, not even nearly to the extent of New York."