Washington (CNN) House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Tuesday vehemently disagreed with President Donald Trump's recent suggestions to "open" the country back up for business, saying the economy will recover when the coronavirus pandemic has passed.

"Well there doesn't have to be a contradiction there. Our economy will thrive when our people are well and able to go back to work in groups and collaborate on the enthusiasms that they have in their entrepreneurial spirits or in the workplace that they thrive, and our children can go back to school," Pelosi told CNN's Dana Bash on "Inside Politics." "But central to all of that is stopping the spread of disease -- of the coronavirus."

Earlier Tuesday, Trump, who has been itching to scale back social distancing guidelines, wrote in a tweet , "Our people want to return to work. They will practice Social Distancing and all else, and Seniors will be watched over protectively & lovingly. We can do two things together. THE CURE CANNOT BE WORSE (by far) THAN THE PROBLEM!"

During a Fox News town hall on Tuesday, Trump reiterated he was eager to see the nation return to normal, even as doctors warn the US will see a massive spike in cases if Americans return to crowded workplaces or events.

"I give it two weeks," Trump said, suggesting he was ready to phase out his 15-day self-isolating guidelines once they expire. "I guess by Monday or Tuesday it's about two weeks. And we'll assess at that time and we'll give it some more time if we need a little more time. But we have to open this country up."

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