Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham pushed back on President Donald Trump after the president suggested in a series of tweets on Monday that he'll scale back social distancing to boost the economy.

"When it comes to how to fight #CoronavirusPandemic, I'm making my decisions based on healthcare professionals like Dr. Fauci and others, not political punditry," Graham tweeted.

The South Carolina lawmaker went on, "There is no functioning economy unless we control the virus."

Trump and some of his conservative media backers appear eager to return as much of the economy as possible to business as usual in a matter of days as states and public-health experts urge continued social distancing.

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Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham pushed back on President Donald Trump after the president suggested in a series of tweets on Monday that he'll scale back social distancing recommendations in a week and urge many Americans to go back to work amid the spreading pandemic.

Graham, a strong supporter of the president's, said Monday that he would listen to healthcare professionals, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, the country's top infectious disease specialist who's helping lead the government's coronavirus response effort, rather than "political punditry."

"When it comes to how to fight #CoronavirusPandemic, I'm making my decisions based on healthcare professionals like Dr. Fauci and others, not political punditry," Graham tweeted, sharing a Washington Post story about Trump's shifting messaging.

Graham's message was a rebuke of the president, who famously prioritizes the opinions of right-wing political pundits over experts on a number of issues.

And the senator's message aligns with that of the world's top experts on pandemics and infectious disease, who are urging Americans to stay home and pushing for the expansion of virus testing the production of more essential medical equipment to deal with the surge in patients.

"Try running an economy with major hospitals overflowing, doctors and nurses forced to stop treating some because they can't help all, and every moment of gut-wrenching medical chaos being played out in our living rooms, on TV, on social media, and shown all around the world," Graham went on. "There is no functioning economy unless we control the virus."

A series of Fox News personalities are arguing that the economic impacts of the social distancing measures will do more harm to Americans than the coronavirus itself.

Fox News host Steve Hilton, a Trump supporter and self-described "positive populist," urged the president to "flatten the coronavirus curve, but not the economy, before it's too late," adding, "You know, that famous phrase: The cure is worse than the disease?"

Just a few hours later Trump echoed that same argument.

"WE CANNOT LET THE CURE BE WORSE THAN THE PROBLEM ITSELF. AT THE END OF THE 15 DAY PERIOD, WE WILL MAKE A DECISION AS TO WHICH WAY WE WANT TO GO!" he tweeted late on Sunday night.

On Monday morning, Trump retweeted several accounts spreading misinformation about the dangers and severity of the virus, including tweets from an account called @SexCounseling that said, "We The People are smart enough to keep away from others if we know that we are sick or they are sick!" and another user who said: "Correct. 15 days, then we keep the high risk groups protected as necessary and the rest of us go back to work."

The coronavirus outbreak has wreaked havoc on the US economy. Entire industries have come to a near standstill, all of the stock market gains made during Trump's presidency have been erased, and unemployment claims have surged as millions of Americans find themselves out of work or with severely reduced hours.

As of Monday in the US, there were over 35,200 cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, and more than 470 deaths.

But Trump appears eager to return as much of the economy as possible to business as usual in a matter of days as states and public-health experts have urged containment measures to limit the virus' spread, closing schools, many businesses, and even public spaces like parks.

Grace Panetta contributed to this report.