President Trump Donald John TrumpObama calls on Senate not to fill Ginsburg's vacancy until after election Planned Parenthood: 'The fate of our rights' depends on Ginsburg replacement Progressive group to spend M in ad campaign on Supreme Court vacancy MORE said Saturday that he will rely "on a lot of facts and instincts" when deciding whether to recommend that portions of the U.S. economy reopen amid the coronavirus outbreak.

In a phone interview on Fox News's "Justice with Judge Jeanine," Trump acknowledged that the decision would be "the toughest decision I ever made and hopefully the most difficult I will ever have to make."

"I hope I'm going to make the right decision," he said. "I will be basing it on a lot of very smart people, a lot of professionals, doctors and business leaders. There are a lot of things that go into a decision like that. And it's going to be based on a lot of facts and instincts. Whether you like it or not, there is a certain instinct to it."

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He added that the White House would be making an announcement on the subject "reasonably" soon.

Trump has alternated between pushing for the U.S. economy to reopen and deferring to medical experts who have called for social distancing guidelines to remain in place until the U.S. outbreak begins receding.

Trump said earlier this month that the health of the country would take priority over the economy amid the pandemic. Then, at a White House briefing on Friday, the president said he wanted to open the economy "as soon as possible" and would convene an "Opening Our Country Council."

"This country was meant to be open and vibrant and great," he said.

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Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin Steven Terner MnuchinLawmakers fear voter backlash over failure to reach COVID-19 relief deal United Airlines, unions call for six-month extension of government aid House Democrats plan to unveil bill next week to avert shutdown MORE, White House chief of staff Mark Meadows Mark Randall MeadowsTrump reacts to Ginsburg's death: 'An amazing woman who led an amazing life' Trump carries on with rally, unaware of Ginsburg's death United Airlines, unions call for six-month extension of government aid MORE, Trump's daughter and senior adviser Ivanka Trump Ivana (Ivanka) Marie TrumpTrump luxury properties have charged US government .1M since inauguration: report Ivana Trump: Ivanka could 'definitely' be first female president The Hill's 12:30 Report - Presented by Facebook - Trump's West Coast campaign swing MORE, and private sector figures will reportedly be part of the group.

As of Sunday morning, the U.S. had reported more than 530,000 cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. Roughly 20,600 people in the country have died from the virus, with with more than 7,000 deaths in New York alone.

The outbreak has led states across the country to impose orders barring nonessential travel and large gatherings, measures that have upended the U.S. economy and led to a rapid surge in unemployment. Many states have imposed stay-at-home orders that stretch until June.

Trump and some of his allies have continually expressed fears about businesses remaining closed for an extended period of time. Meanwhile, health experts, including Anthony Fauci Anthony FauciOvernight Health Care: CDC reverses controversial testing guidance | Billions more could be needed for vaccine distribution | Study examines danger of in-flight COVID-19 transmission Trump claims enough COVID-19 vaccines will be ready for every American by April Gates says travel ban made COVID-19 worse in US MORE, the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and a leading member of the administration's coronavirus task force, stress that restrictions must stay in place.

“This is not the time to feel that since we have made such important advances in the sense of success of the mitigation that we need to be pulling back at all," Fauci said Friday.