The economic rebound starting in the third quarter of this year will be the beginning of a transition that will result in "one of the best economic years we've ever had" in 2021, President Donald Trump says in an interview airing Thursday.
“I call it a transition to greatness," Trump told Fox Business' Maria Bartiromo on Wednesday in an interview for "Mornings With Maria." "The third quarter … that’s a transition quarter. We’re going to do well in the fourth quarter, and I think next year, with all of the stimulus, all of the things we’ve done, I think we’re going to have one of the best economic years we’ve ever had."
However, Bartiromo commented to Trump that Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases is warning about reopening the country, but Trump said he disagrees with him.
"Anthony is a good person, a very good person," said Trump. "I disagreed with him. When I closed the border to China, he disagreed with that, and ultimately he agreed. He said I saved hundreds of thousands of lives which is what happened."
Trump said he believes the nation's schools must open, along with the country.
"We want to do it safely and quickly as possible," said Trump. "We can't keep on going on this like. [He says] you will have bedlam on the streets and I totally disagree."
Trump also called for a stronger U.S. dollar, saying it's a "great time" for that to happen.
"It’s a great time to have a strong dollar because the whole world, you know, we’re paying zero interest, right. That’s never happened either. We’re paying so low. Everybody wants to be in the dollar because we kept it strong. I kept it strong,” he said.
The president also dismissed critics who say he's putting the economy ahead of saving lives.
"I think the people that want to see the right thing happen, they agree with me," said Trump. "We have to get our country open. If it was up to some people let's keep it closed for a long time ... it's never going to happen on my watch."
He added that lives can't be replaced and that the United States "will lose over 100,000 perhaps in this country."
However, he insisted that "all of this is going to work out. We have a strong dollar. We have a great country. The people want to go back to work and they don't want to lose their jobs, by the way."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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