Donald Trump says US economy ‘roaring back’ even as coronavirus cases soar
- President touts report showing 4.8 million jobs created in June, though data does not reflect recent moves by hardest hit states to pause reopening
- Joe Biden slams Trump for ‘claiming victory’ when nearly 15 million Americans remain out of work because of pandemic
After days of record spikes in new Covid-19 cases and hospitals warning they could run out of beds, US President Donald Trump’s White House on Thursday sought to convey that all was well in the battle against the coronavirus and touted efforts to get the economy moving again.
Florida reported more than 10,000 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, the biggest one-day increase in the state since the pandemic started. That followed a spike in the number of cases nationwide to nearly 50,000 on Wednesday, the fourth record rise in infections in the last seven days.
The United States has now reported more than 128,000 coronavirus-related deaths, nearly a quarter of the global total.
The rising number of cases follows moves in many states to allow businesses to lift strict shutdowns, which have boosted job growth but also appear to have accelerated the spread of the virus as people returned to restaurants, bars and retail businesses.
As the wave of new cases accelerates, some states have paused or scaled back their re-openings, while closing beaches and cancelling fireworks displays over the upcoming US Independence Day weekend.