A Republican senator thinks the U.S. economy must be reopened despite the threat of Covid-19. Louisiana’s John Kennedy accepted this would cause the virus to spread even further.
Kennedy spoke to Fox News’ Tucker Carlson on Wednesday and argued that the U.S. must ease Coronavirus containment measures. He said the making the decision was like “choosing between cancer and a heart attack.”
“Here’s the way I say it,” Kennedy said. “The American people are not morons. They understand what I’m about to say, and at some point we’re going to have to trust them.”
“Number one, very soon the can is going to run out of road,” the senator said.
To get more stories like this, subscribe to our newsletter The Daily.
“We’ve got to open this economy. If we don’t, it’s going to collapse. And if the U.S. economy collapses, the world economy collapses.”
“Trying to burn down the village to save it is foolish. That’s a cold, hard truth.”
However, Kennedy admitted reopening the economy now would only help Coronavirus to spread throughout the nation.
“We’ve got to be smart about how we do it,” he said.
“Don’t open up in the middle of a hot spot. Encourage your elderly and those with pre-existing conditions to stay quarantined and provide them financial support.”
“It’s a miserable choice,” he admitted, though clearly coming down in favor of the economy.
Kennedy merely reiterated President Donald Trump’s refrain about the need to reopen the economy. New figures released on Thursday showed 22 million Americans lost their jobs in the last month.
Follow Darragh Roche on Twitter
Darragh Roche is a journalist covering U.S. politics and media
