An ABC anchor asked Vice President Mike Pence if he "talks to God" about people who may have unnecessarily died from the coronavirus because of the federal response.

ABC Nightline co-anchor Byron Pitts asked Pence on Friday if he feels religiously convicted about the federal response to the COVID-19 pandemic, asking if he feels the Trump administration is to blame for unnecessary deaths.

"When you talk to God in your moments alone, do you find yourself worrying at all that people you represent, and care deeply about, have died and will die who did not need to because of steps the federal government did not take soon enough?" asked Pitts.

Pence shifted the conversation in response, thanking the host for an unintended effect of his question: "Thank you for mentioning that we are talking about one American at a time."

"We wanted the American people to see the numbers so that we understand the challenging days that lie ahead. But I want people to know that our future is in your hands, that if every one of us will do and put into practice the Guidelines for America, that we can bring those numbers down," Pence said.

To mitigate the spread of the coronavirus, the Trump administration banned travel from China, Europe, and other countries with a significant number of confirmed COVID-19 cases; announced several public-private partnerships to increase testing; and collaborated with states to increase the supply of ventilators, masks, and healthcare for patients.

More than 1.1 million people have tested positive for the coronavirus globally. Of those, nearly 61,000 have died from it, and more than 233,000 have recovered. The United States has seen at least 278,000 confirmed cases, with over 7,000 deaths and nearly 10,000 reported recoveries.