Vice President Mike Pence promised Thursday that the Trump administration “will continue to open up the United States” despite a recent surge in coronavirus cases.
Pence told CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street” that the White House will stick with state leaders “every step of the way as they continue to take steps to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus.”
The vice president’s comments came after President Donald Trump celebrated a record increase in non-farm payrolls in June. The United States added 4.8 million jobs last month, according to the Labor Department.
But despite Trump’s optimism in the economy, a recent surge in coronavirus cases has other administration officials, such as health expert Dr. Anthony Fauci, warning that the outbreak will be “very disruptive” if not quickly controlled. .
The United States reported more than 50,000 cases of Covid-19 on Wednesday, according to data from Johns Hopkins University, hitting the highest total in a single day until the virus spreads across Sun Belt states.
Pence said the White House wants “to make sure these states have everything they need” to combat the outbreak.
“But we are going to keep the United States again and we will have more days like today,” Pence said.
The 50 states have begun to relax their stringent social distancing measures, which were aimed at slowing down the spread of the virus, but caused their economies to virtually stop. However, amid increasing infections, many state leaders in recent weeks have again imposed restrictions and delayed the resumption of certain businesses and activities.
“I think some places may have been too exuberant,” Trump’s top economic adviser Larry Kudlow told reporters on Thursday after the president finished his remarks on the jobs report and left the House meeting room. Blanca without answering questions.
Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, who also stayed after Trump’s departure, said the White House is “encouraging Americans to wear masks” despite the administration rejecting calls to impose a national mask mandate .
Trump said in an interview on Wednesday that he doubted that a national mandate was necessary because “there are many places in the country where people stay far away.”
Pence told CNBC that he does not believe “there is a need for a national mandate” in the masks.
“The truth is that we are currently monitoring 12 states that have increasing cases and increasing positivity, and we are fully supporting the efforts that governors are taking and local health officials are taking to encourage people to practice good hygiene, social distancing, wear a mask where social distancing is not possible, “he said.
“But the reality is that, as you see in these numbers from the current economy, this economy is coming back strongly because the American people have learned along the way how we get our country back to work, how we return to worship and ultimately instance, how we recover. Back to school. “
Disclosure: Larry Kudlow is a former CNBC contributor.
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