WASHINGTON — Trying to dispel economic gloom, President Trump said Thursday he’s anticipating a major rebound in the coming months and a “spectacular” 2021.
While economists are warning of serious long-term damage as the country plunges into recession because of the coronavirus, Trump is predicting a strong fourth quarter thanks to pent-up demand.
“I think we can actually surpass where we were,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, while allowing he was relying on his gut.
“I feel it,” he said. ‘‘I think sometimes what I feel is better than what I think, unfortunately or fortunately.”
Trump’s comments came during a meeting with New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, a Democrat, who exchanged praise with Trump, despite past criticism. Trump said Murphy had “stepped up to the plate,” while Murphy said Trump has delivered in his state’s darkest hour.
The comments are the latest sign that Trump is trying to turn the page on the virus, even as the nation’s death toll continues to climb and jobless claims rise. Trump had been hoping to ride a strong economy into another four-year term, but the virus and the economic damage it has wrought upended that strategy.
But economists have waned a sharp comeback may not be realistic. They point to expected flare-ups that could force reopened businesses to shut down again, concerns that employees and consumers afraid of contracting the virus could continue to stay home, and the fact that shuttered business may not open again. With so much of the economy paralyzed, the Congressional Budget Office has estimated that economic activity will plunge this quarter at a 40 percent annual rate.
Trump has nonetheless given consistently high marks to his administration’s handling of the virus, despite persistent criticism that he waited too long to act.
Associated Press
Pence, in mask, tours ventilator facility
WASHINGTON — This time, he wore a mask.
Vice President Mike Pence donned a face covering Thursday as he toured a General Motors/Ventec ventilator production facility in Indiana after coming under fire for failing to wear one earlier this week in violation of Mayo Clinic policy.
Pence on toured the General Motors facility in Kokomo, which had been closed due to the coronavirus and was brought back online in mid-April to produce critical care ventilators for hospitals around the country. The transformed facility has already manufactured hundreds of the units, including some that were sent to hospitals in Gary, Ind., that were struggling with supply.
General Motors requires workers to wear surgical masks at the Kokomo facility except when they are eating lunch, United Auto Workers spokesman Brian Rothenberg said.
Pence’s visit to the facility came hours after his wife, Karen Pence, defended her husband’s decision to not wear a mask during a Tuesday visit to the Mayo Clinic Rochester, Minn., telling Fox News Channel that he had been unaware of the hospital’s coronavirus policy until after he left.
She said the vice president has been following the advice of medical experts and hadn’t intended to offend anyone. Pence, like other senior White House staff, is tested for the virus at least once a week.
Associated Press
Fauci predicts quick OK for experimental drug
WASHINGTON -- The nation’s top infectious diseases expert says he expects the US Food and Drug Administration to quickly approve a new experimental drug that showed promising signs in treating patients with COVID-19.
Anthony Fauci told NBC’s “Today” show Thursday that he anticipates the go-ahead for the emergency use of Remdesivir to happen “really quickly.”
He says he spoke with FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn on Wednesday, and while Hahn had yet to make a final decision, “I would project that we’re going to be seeing that reasonably soon.” The drug was shown in a major study to shorten recovery time of hospitalized patients.
Fauci said the drug’s manufacturer has committed to scaling production of the drug as quickly as possible as the world hunts for an effective treatment and ultimately a vaccine.
Fauci has been working on a project to fast track the development of a vaccine by mass producing formulas that appear safe and effective before they’re fully vetted. The goal is to get hundreds of millions of doses to the public by January.
Associated Press
Calif. governor to close all beaches, parks
HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. — California Governor Gavin Newsom will order all beaches and state parks closed starting Friday after people thronged the seashore last weekend despite his social distancing order that aims to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
While most state parks and many local beaches, trails, and parks have been closed for weeks, Newsom’s order is sure to ignite pushback from community leaders who argue they can safely provide some relief to residents.
Last weekend, some 80,000 people flocked to Newport Beach in Orange County, south of Los Angeles, with additional thousands gathering at open beaches in Ventura County, northwest of LA. Beaches in Los Angeles County remained closed.
The city of San Diego reopened its beaches Monday to active users ranging from swimmers to walkers, but most coastal communities in San Diego County kept their beaches closed.
Associated Press
New York to close subways overnight for cleaning
NEW YORK — New York City will shut down its subway system each day from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. to increase cleaning of trains and stations during the coronavirus crisis, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced Thursday.
Subway trains, which had been disinfected at least once every 72 hours, will be cleaned once every 24 hours starting May 6.
Cuomo said buses, vans, and other alternative transportation will be provided at no charge for essential workers to get around while the subway system is closed.
Dozens of transit employees have died of the coronavirus and the system has become a haven for homeless people during the crisis.
Associated Press