Trump Presses to Reopen U.S. With Risk of Promising Too Much

President says he aims to have packed rallies in fall campaign
Says some states ‘aren’t going fast enough’ to reopen

Donald Trump during a town hall at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., U.S., on May 3.Photographer: Oliver Contreras/Sipa/Bloomberg

Provide news feedback or report an error

Confidential tip?

Send a tip to our reporters

Site feedback:

Take our Survey

By Jordan Fabian

May 4, 2020 at 8:00 AM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

President Donald Trump prodded an anxious nation to reopen for business with a combination of optimism and grievance, seeking to move past the pandemic that has killed more than 67,000 Americans and imperiled his odds of a second term.

In a virtual town hall staged symbolically at the Lincoln Memorial Sunday evening, Trump said he hopes to return to his raucous political rallies in packed arenas in the final months of his campaign for re-election. He complained that some states “aren’t going fast enough” to ease public health restrictions.