White House To Form Second COVID-19 Task Force, On Economic Impact

President Donald Trump has more than 76 million Twitter followers, so the possibility he will tweet at any of them is slim.

But if you’re Dana Perino, it appears the chances are very good. The Fox News host suggested on Twitter that the president create another task force to anticipate reopening the economy.

“I think we need a 2nd task force assembled at the direction of POTUS to look ahead to reopening the economy,” she wrote in an April 3 tweet. “Made up of a nonpartisan/bipartisan mix of experts across industry sectors, so that we have their recommendations & plan — let the 1st task force focus on the crisis at the moment.”

The president’s response? “Good idea Dana!” Trump tweeted.

While it’s not clear if Perino is responsible for his decision, Trump said he is planning to launch a task force to focus on the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic, NBC News reported Thursday (April 9), citing a senior administration official.

“President Trump’s policies took this economy to record setting historic highs for all Americans but this unforeseen, unprecedented crisis has hurt many workers and businesses,” White House spokesman Judd Deere told CNBC in a statement. “The President wants to see this economy open again so people can get back to work, but scientific data will drive the timeline on those decisions because his number one priority is to protect the safety and well-being of the American people.”

The report said the new coronavirus task force will consist of White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and National Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow.

Mnuchin said Thursday he thinks it is possible that the U.S. economy could reopen next month.

The original COVID-19 task force is headed by Vice President Michael Pence, and includes Infectious Diseases Director Dr. Anthony Fauci, National Institute of Allergy and Response Coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx.