Trump says the US could be reaching the top of the coronavirus curve

By Steve Holland and Jeff Mason

WASHINGTON, Apr 7 (Reuters) – President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the United States may be reaching the top of the coronavirus outbreak “curve,” while also showing a desire to reopen the world’s largest economy soon.

The president stressed that he is reluctant to talk about potential deaths, but that the country could be on track for far fewer deaths than expected. Trump’s team to fight COVID-19 previously projected that up to 240,000 people in the United States could die during the pandemic.

Trump also reiterated that he wants to reopen the US economy.

“We want to open it soon, so I think maybe we are reaching the top of the curve,” said the Republican leader.

Trump also redoubled his criticism of the World Health Organization (WHO) for its handling of the virus and said that the United States would suspend the delivery of funds to the entity.

The president also assured that the Wisconsin Supreme Court made the right decision by allowing the state’s primary elections to take place on Tuesday despite health and safety concerns related to the virus.

He reaffirmed his opposition to voting by mail, which, according to him, leads to possible fraud.

“I think voting by mail is horrible,” he said. “If you want to vote, you must go.”

(Report by Steve Holland, Diane Bartz and Jeff Mason; edited in Spanish by Rodrigo Charme)