US Poll: 'Safety First Over Early Economic Reopening'

60% of WSJ/NBC Poll Respondents Worry About Early Economic Reopening
Governors Trusted More Than Trump
Republican Governors Also Concerned About Trump's Claims... Conflict Spreads
New York Governor: "The Beast Is Alive"

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] Amid escalating conflicts between U.S. President Donald Trump and governors over the timing of economic reopening, the American public appears to hold more negative views toward a hasty economic reopening. Governors have expressed concerns about early reopening in response to President Trump's pressure to restart the economy.

In a poll conducted on the 19th (local time) by The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) and NBC News, respondents sided with the governors in the conflict over measures to resume economic activities between President Trump and the governors.

58% of respondents worried that easing stay-at-home orders too early would lead to further spread of COVID-19. Only 32% were more concerned about the economic damage caused by prolonged shutdowns.

NBC News introduced an expert opinion stating, "The results of this survey strongly indicate that the public is not ready to resume economic activities by May 1."

Among the American public, opinions on economic reopening varied by political affiliation, but progressives and moderates leaned toward opposing early lifting of restrictions. Among respondents, 77% of Democrats and 57% of independents were more concerned about the spread of COVID-19, while 48% of Republicans were more worried about economic damage.

Trust in President Trump's COVID-19 response remains sluggish. 52% of respondents said they do not trust President Trump, while only 36% expressed trust. In contrast, 69% and 66% of respondents trusted the CDC and their respective state governors, respectively.

Trust in Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) under the U.S. National Institutes of Health, who criticized President Trump's inadequate response, reached 60%. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who has clashed with President Trump, also earned a 46% trust rating.

Separately from trust issues, 44% of respondents supported President Trump's COVID-19 response, while 52% did not, similar to the March survey results (support 45%, oppose 51%).

President Trump continued to pressure for early economic reopening, emphasizing through Twitter that "(economic reopening) is for the life and future of our country." He has also faced criticism for pressuring Democratic governors in states such as Michigan, Minnesota, and Virginia to reopen their economies and allegedly encouraging protests demanding economic reopening.

As controversy spread, governors responded with rebuttals. According to CNN, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo stated at a press conference that "this is just halftime," emphasizing that economic reopening plans must be based on patient data and COVID-19 testing. He announced, "We will conduct the most aggressive COVID-19 testing next week." On that day, New York reported 507 daily COVID-19 deaths, down from 540 the previous day.

Governor Cuomo warned, "We can control the (COVID-19) beast. But the beast is still alive, and we have not yet killed the beast," adding, "The beast can come back to life."

Other governors also criticized the White House's COVID-19 response, stating that widespread COVID-19 testing must precede economic reopening.

Virginia Governor Ralph Northam appeared on CNN and called Vice President Mike Pence's statement on the 17th that sufficient COVID-19 testing had been conducted for phase one reopening "delusional," expressing concern that Virginia even lacks enough swabs for COVID-19 testing.

Larry Hogan, Maryland Governor, chairman of the National Governors Association, and a Republican, told CNN, "Claims that a lot of COVID-19 testing has been done for economic reopening are not accurate." He also pointed out, "Inciting protests and encouraging opposition to the president's own policies is not helpful."

Mike DeWine, Ohio Governor and also a Republican, appeared on NBC and emphasized, "We will do what we believe is right, what I believe is right. Even if we try to reopen the economy, we will do so very cautiously to prevent many people from dying."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.