Trump could axe social distancing advice to protect ailing US markets

DONALD Trump is considering scrapping social distancing rules by next week – because of concerns about the US economy.

The President said America ‘cannot let the cure be worse than the problem’ in a controversial tweet about the coronavirus, posted on Sunday night.

And he spent yesterday retweeting supporters who urged him to get back to business as usual after his ‘15 Days To Slow The Spread’ campaign expires next Monday. Mr Trump’s impatience with social distancing came as the Dow Jones suffers its worst month since 1931, during the Great Depression.

Mr Trump launched the rules on March 16 and urged people to stay home wherever possible. But according to the New York Times, he has grown frustrated at the tanking stock market and is under pressure from Republicans to restart the country. He is frustrated that medical experts were allowed to set the agenda and may let states with fewer cases unfreeze their economies soon.

States with high numbers of cases could still remain on lockdown for months.

In a tweet written in capital letters, Mr Trump said: ‘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!’

Later on however, he contradicted himself and shared a video of him at the White House advocating social distancing because the virus will have ‘nowhere to go’. His idea of an early return to normality was not backed by his own Surgeon General, Dr Jerome Adams, who said New York City was ‘approaching Italy’. The US has more than 35,000 infections and 471 deaths.

The President’s comments contrasted with the Federal Reserve which took its boldest step so far to manage the crisis by buying back as much government debt as necessary. It will also start lending to small and large businesses and local governments to help them weather the crisis that will almost certainly send the US economy into a recession.

The central bank’s effort has now gone beyond even the drive made to rescue the economy from the 2008 financial crisis.

Adding to the turmoil, a £1.6trillion economic stimulus package failed to pass in the Senate after Democrats demanded more protections for workers.