Trump, in push to reopen schools amid coronavirus outbreak, vows 'pressure' on governors

President Trump and The First Lady host the ‘National Dialogue on Reopening Schools’

President Trump, at a White House event Tuesday with first lady Melania Trump, said his administration would “very much put pressure” on governors to reopen their states’ schools in the fall amid the coronavirus outbreak.

“We don't want people to make political statements or do it for political reasons, they think it's gonna be good for them politically, so they keep the schools closed, no way,” Trump said after noting that the administration of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis recently announced plans to reopen schools in that state. “So, we are very much going to put pressure on governors and everybody else to open the schools.”

“Our country has got to get back, and it’s got to get back as soon as possible, and I don’t consider our country coming back if the schools are closed,” the president added. “Everybody wants it, the moms want it, the dads want it, the kids want it.”

He said that the COVID-19 death rate was down “ten-fold” thanks to promising therapeutics. “We will put out the fires as they come up but we have to open up our schools,” Trump said.

Trump pointed to the American Academy of Pediatrics, which was represented at the event and repeatedly has urged officials to let students be physically present at school.

"After weighing what we know about children and the coronavirus, we really strongly advocate that the goal should be to have students physically present in the school," AAP President Dr. Sara Goza told "The Daily Briefing" Monday.

Trump then pointed to New Jersey, hard-hit by the pandemic, where only one child under the age of 18 was said to have died from COVID-19.

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Melania Trump added that schools were vital for social, emotional and physical health. “Many challenges for children and families can be just as invisible as the virus, and just as dangerous,” she said. The first lady noted children with disabilities, those without access to technology and unsafe homes may be suffering worse consequences than those of the pandemic.

Vice President Mike Pence said that there was “no substitute” for in-person learning, adding that some 7 million children have suffered from mental or emotional disturbances and principally received care from health and mental services at school.

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