Trump says coronavirus may last until the summer

Trump also indicated the U.S. 'may be' headed toward a recession

President Trump says the United States may see coronavirus last until the summertime.

"People are talking about July, August, something like that," Trump said Monday during the coronavirus task force press conference.

KUDLOW: WHITE HOUSE WILL DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO STEM CORONAVIRUS PANDEMONIUM

He later clarified it "could be longer than that," but he's hopeful his administration made enough preventative moves to combat the spread of coronavirus in the U.S.

The president confessed he asks the medical professionals this same question every day.

Trump also indicated the U.S. “may be” headed toward a recession as the economy continues to be battered amid the coronavirus outbreak.

DOW DROPS 3,000 POINTS

The president says his administration’s focus is on stemming the virus. Once the spread of the virus is stopped, Trump said he believes the U.S. economy will see a “tremendous, tremendous surge.” The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down more than 11 percent Monday afternoon.

Ticker Security Last Change Change %
I:DJI DOW JONES AVERAGES 38085.8 -375.12 -0.98%
SP500 S&P 500 5048.42 -23.21 -0.46%
I:COMP NASDAQ COMPOSITE INDEX 15611.759799 -100.99 -0.64%

The president also is pledging federal support for airlines struggling because of the pandemic, saying he’s “going to back the airlines 100 percent.”

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Trump also says governors that need ventilators, respirators, masks and other equipment for medical professionals should first try to acquire the items on their own before turning to the federal government for help.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.