Fox News personality and former White House press secretary Dana Perino floated the idea of a “2nd task force” that would explore reopening the U.S. economy, and it looks like President Donald Trump likes the idea.
“I think we need a 2nd task force assembled at direction of POTUS to look ahead to reopening of the economy,” Perino tweeted on Friday. “Made up of a nonpartisan/bipartisan mix of experts across industry sectors, so that we have their recommendations & plan – let 1st taskforce focus on crisis at the moment.”
I think we need a 2nd task force assembled at direction of POTUS to look ahead to reopening of the economy. Made up of a nonpartisan/bipartisan mix of experts across industry sectors, so that we have their recommendations & plan – let 1st taskforce focus on crisis at the moment.
— Dana Perino (@DanaPerino) April 3, 2020
Trump on Saturday retweeted Perino’s post along with the message, “Good idea Dana!”
Good idea Dana! https://t.co/Vx7yfwfpIU
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 4, 2020
While fighting the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has been the focus of the current task force, many, including President Trump himself, have expressed concern that the ongoing shutdowns could lead to suffering that could outpace anything the virus could have caused.
Fox News host Tucker Carlson devoted almost 10 minutes of his Friday night show to questioning the wisdom of allowing well-meaning but single-minded medical professionals like Dr. Fauci to make decisions that could cause untold suffering for millions. (RELATED: Tucker Questions Severity Of Shutdown Strategy: What If ‘We’d Adopted A More Conventional Response To This Epidemic?’)
To Carlson, millions “out of work and staring at poverty” is a “far bigger disaster than the virus itself, by any measure.”
“Tony Fauci, decent as he may be, can’t see that, because he doesn’t think it’s his job to see it,” Carlson continued. “But even a doctor should be able to think beyond the models. Our response to coronavirus could turn this into a far poorer nation. Poor countries are unhealthy countries, always and everywhere. In poor countries, people die of treatable diseases. In poor countries, people are far more vulnerable to obscure viruses, like the one we are fighting now.”