President Donald Trump on Friday accused Democrats of enforcing coronavirus restrictions meant to curb the spread of the disease, simply to “hurt him,” suggesting without evidence that they want to prevent the US economy from recovering to hinder his reelection campaign.
“The people want to come back. You see what’s going on at statehouses all over the country. They want to come back,” Trump said at a White House meeting with congressional Republicans, referring to recent demonstrations in several state capitals against stay-at-home orders, according to Politico.
“I think some people don’t want it really to come back, for political reasons, which is sick,” Trump ranted, offering no evidence to support his claim. “But the people — the real people, the people that want this country to be great, and great again — we can say they want to get back,”
Trump made a similar suggestion earlier Friday, noted Politico
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“I will tell you, you look at some cases, some people think they’re doing it for politics. Here we go again. But they think they’re doing it because it’ll hurt me, the longer it takes to — hurt me in the election, the longer it takes to open up,” Trump told “Fox & Friends,” failing to offer evidence for his assertion.
“And I can see some of that, because some of these — some of these people are being unrealistic,” he continued. “They’re being ridiculous. I’ve looked at a couple of states that are being absolutely ridiculous. But ultimately, the people are forcing it. I see what’s going on.”
Trump’s comments came on the same day the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported U.S. employers shed 20.5 million jobs in April, bringing the country’s unemployment rate up to 14.7 percent — its highest level since the Great Depression.
