Bullish Trump: US ready to get back to business

Donald Trump says the US is starting to be open for business as more Republican states took tentative measures to do so.

Donald and Melania Trump celebrate Earth Day, on the South Lawn of the White House. Picture: AP

Donald Trump has declared that America is starting to be open for business as his Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin predicted the US economy could be completely reopened by late August.

The bullish predictions came as more Republican states took tentative measures to reopen their economies and relax coronavirus restrictions.

But states remain sharply divided over the issue, with New York and California rejecting moves to reopen their economy and saying their priority was public health.

A new AP-NORC poll found that eight in 10 Americans supported measures that included staying at home to fight the spread of the virus. The poll finds only 12 per cent of Americans say the measures go too far, while 26 per cent think they do not go far enough and 61 per cent believe the steps taken are about right.

The President and his team have been encouraging states to reopen their economies early if conditions permit. although they say the timing of any decision is up to them.

Mr Trump said death rates in the nation’s hotspots were going down and that “more states will soon be in a position to safely reopen … it’s very exciting”.

Earlier, he tweeted: “States are safely coming back. Our country is starting to OPEN FOR BUSINESS again. Special care is, and always will be, given to our beloved seniors (except me). Their lives will be better than ever … WE LOVE YOU ALL”.

States are safely coming back. Our Country is starting to OPEN FOR BUSINESS again. Special care is, and always will be, given to our beloved seniors (except me!). Their lives will be better than ever...WE LOVE YOU ALL!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 22, 2020

Mr Mnuchin suggested the US economy, which has suffered 22 million job losses in the past month, was likely to be reopened within the next four months.

“I hope we are going to get back to work fairly quickly,” he said. “And, you know, we’re kind of operating under the environment that we are going to open up parts of the economy.

“And we’re looking forward to, by the time we get later in the summer, having most of the economy, if not all of the economy, open.”

Health experts have warned that any moves to reopen the US economy too quickly risk a second wave of the coronavirus, which has claimed the lives of more than 46,000 Americans.

The governors of Tennessee, Ohio and Colorado say they will not extend stay-at-home orders when they expire next week. Other states, including Texas, Florida and South Carolina, have already relaxed some restrictions while Georgia has gone the furthest, approving the reopening of restaurants, cinemas, hair salons, massage centres and tattoo parlours.

Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman also said on Thursday (AEST) she wanted the city’s casinos, restaurants and bars opened as soon as possible, saying it was “up to them to figure out” how that could be done safely.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, whose state has lost more than 14,000 people to the virus, said he would not support any moves to reopen his state’s economy at this stage. “We can’t make a bad decision,” he said. “We can’t be stupid about it. This is not going to be over anytime soon. I know people want out. I know this is unsustainable. I also know more people will die if we are not smart.”

New York, the nation’s virus hotspot, recorded a further 474 coronavirus deaths in 24 hours, taking the total death toll past 15,000. Mr Cuomo said New York would establish a large program to test, trace and isolate people with the virus as a crucial first step to understand and combat its spread.

California Governor Gavin Newsom also announced plans for a significant expansion in testing while ruling out any plans to reopen his state’s economy. “I deeply recognise, deeply understand the desire for people to hear directly from the administration, from the state and its leadership, about the answer to when, when can we go back to some semblance of normalcy,” Mr Newsom said.

But he said those decisions would be guided by California’s ability to combat the virus rather than by economic pressure.

Cameron Stewart is also US contributor for Sky News Australia