President Trump says coronavirus task force will stay on, evolve its focus
Trump faced backlash over preliminary talks to wind down the coronavirus task force in the coming weeks; reaction and analysis on 'The Five.'
Get all the latest news on coronavirus and more delivered daily to your inbox. Sign up here.
"The Five" co-host Jesse Watters waded into the ongoing controversy over when to lift coronavirus-induced restrictions Wednesday, accusing Democratic lawmakers of shifting their focus from "flattening the curve" to "flattening the entire U.S. economy."
"I have lost my patience with the Democrats. And it took me a while, but I have now arrived," Watters said. "What is the national Democrat strategy on the shutdown and reopening of the economy? What is it? Is that we shelter in place until we have a vaccine? Because that's not a strategy.
TRUMP: 'WE CAN'T KEEP THE COUNTRY CLOSED FOR THE NEXT 5 YEARS'
"Right now, the only thing that they have actually contributed to the conversation is, 'We either lock it down and live, or we open it up and die.' Seriously? That is what you guys have? And then if you ask a follow-up question, they just scream things like 'Testing!' 'Science!' Like, no," Watters added.
"The Democrats have really become science deniers."
The "Watters' World" host described Democrats who oppose a phased reopening as "science deniers," contrasting them with President Trump, who Watters said has been handling the crisis on a federal level using a "data-driven approach."
"What, are we in kindergarten here? We have flattened the curve. But the Democrats want to stick around and flatten the entire U.S. economy," Watters said. "They are not even looking at the data. Things are on the downtrend. They are closing beaches, but then you look at the data in the data says it's [the virus is] like 20 times more transmissible when you are inside as opposed to outside.
"They are against the travel ban. They were pushing people who had the infection into nursing homes. The Democrats have really become science deniers," Watters added. "And the president, every decision he has made has been driven by science. It's been driven by Dr. [Anthony] Fauci and Dr. [Deborah] Birx."
"The Democrats have positioned themselves against economic recovery, fining people for going to the church and the beach," Watters continued.
CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE
"Is that really what they want to do before going to an election? This election will be about the economy. Maybe a little China, maybe a little Biden, but primarily the economy. If you are going to be rooting against the economy, I just don't see how they can do it."
Fox News First
Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox.
By entering your email and clicking the Subscribe button, you agree to the Fox News Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, and agree to receive content and promotional communications from Fox News. You understand that you can opt-out at any time.