President Donald Trump revealed there are “likely” several reasons for the spike in the number of coronavirus infections across the nation, including protests.
During his White House coronavirus press briefing on Wednesday, Trump attributed the rise in confirmed coronavirus cases to demonstrations.
“Cases started to rise among young Americans shortly after demonstrations, which you know very well about,” Trump said.
He added, “Which presumably triggered a broader relaxation of mitigation efforts nationwide.”
Watch his comments below:
Trump cites demonstrations across the U.S. as a cause for the rise in coronavirus cases pic.twitter.com/qhBq0bTUsx
— Bloomberg Originals (@bbgoriginals) July 22, 2020
He listed other possibilities for why the nation is struggling to slow the spread of the coronavirus including, an increase in travel, gatherings on holidays such as Memorial Day, and young Americans congregating at bars and beaches.
Trump attributed some of the spread to sharing a border with Mexico.
“We’re also sharing a 2,000-mile border with Mexico as we know very well and cases are surging in Mexico,” Trump said.
Protests have erupted across the nation calling for an end to racism and police brutality.
On Sunday, the president condemned protests in Portland, Oregon, and violence in “Democrat-run” cities, as IJR previously reported.
Trump issued a tweet Sunday claiming Portland’s leadership has failed to protect the city from protesters.
“We are trying to help Portland, not hurt it. Their leadership has, for months, lost control of the anarchists and agitators. They are missing in action. We must protect Federal property, AND OUR PEOPLE. These were not merely protesters, these are the real deal!” Trump said.
We are trying to help Portland, not hurt it. Their leadership has, for months, lost control of the anarchists and agitators. They are missing in action. We must protect Federal property, AND OUR PEOPLE. These were not merely protesters, these are the real deal!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 19, 2020
This was not the first time Trump criticized “Democrat-run” cities.
During a roundtable event in Florida on July 10, Trump claimed all “Democrat-run” cities are “going to hell,” as IJR previously reported.
Since late June, the United States has reported a resurgence in the number of coronavirus infections. About 5,000 Americans are losing their lives to the coronavirus every week, while Canada has reported 8,800 total deaths since the beginning of the pandemic.
