President Donald Trump was asked Monday about Los Angeles county leaders’ plans to extend the shelter in place order until the end of August and he called it a “death wish.”
“I mean I heard that they’re going to keep Los Angeles closed till end of August,” the president explained during his appearance at a roundtable discussion with restaurant owners at the White House, per a White House pool report. “That’s what the mayor [Eric Garcetti] wants to do.” (RELATED: Trump Administration Focusing On 2 Key Strategies To ‘Reload’ Strategic National Stockpile For Future Pandemics)
“That’s a death wish,” he added. “Because you know there’s death on both sides. There’s death on both sides. “Not just a one-way street. And we solved a big problem, but you have to understand that too, they don’t understand that.” (RELATED: Asked Whether China Censored Early Coronavirus Data, Senior WHO Official Said He ‘Didn’t Look’)
The comments referred to the economy and public health, the pool report added.
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The question was first addressed to restaurateur Thomas Keller, the owner of the famed French Laundry restaurant in Northern, CA, when Trump shared that he had heard L.A.’s plans to stay closed through the summer, per Bloomberg.
“I’m in Napa Valley,” the owner responded when Trump asked if he had heard the plans for the county to remain closed.
It all comes following reports last week by the Los Angeles Times, that L.A. county officials were looking at likely extending the stay-at-home orders for another three months.