Trump persists in claiming that the “shutdown” will kill more people. It won’t, despite the logical fallacy of associating the current death rate with curtailing economic activity.

Q Mr. President, when you talk about — back to the numbers for a second. When you talk about the numbers — the jobless claims are going to come out tomorrow. It’s likely around 5 million more Americans putting their names in for unemployment benefits. But yet, there are still a couple thousand people, as well, dying a day because of coronavirus.

When you talk about opening up the American economy — or at least in parts — now, how do you balance that decision out, given both of those figures?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, we are. There has to be a balance. You know, there’s also death involved in keeping it closed. And I’ve gone over this with you, and I believe this so strongly. When you look at mental health, when you look at suicides; suicide hotlines, which are exploding; people losing their jobs. When you look at drugs, and people that didn’t take drugs and now they’re becoming drug addicted because they’re going through a problem. They have no job. They have no money coming in — other than the money we’re getting them. We’ve opened up the coffers to a large extent. We’re helping people.

This is why I wish the Democrats would help us a little bit with it, because they should. It’s purely partisan what they’re doing, and it’s bad for our country. But — but, you know, there is death by doing — by having this strongly closed country. We have to get back to work.

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