A Politico report released on Saturday spotlights a movement of Donald Trump's conservative allies that is pressuring him to reopen the economy to save his reelection campaign.
According to the report, six people close to the White House or Trump campaign are "confident" that reopening the economy amid the coronavirus pandemic sooner rather than later will help the president in November. The group believes there are signs that this approach is the path to victory, including the Trump supporter protests of stay-at-home orders that have been surfacing around the country.
Adam Brandon, president of FreedomWorks, a conservative group that recently polled on reopening the economy, suggests that a continued shutdown of the economy will cause Trump's base to "revolt."
"The worst strategy for him is to keep things shut until August. Trump is basically going to win or lose his election right now, in the next month."
During a phone interview with Politico, Trump campaign communications director Tim Murtaugh said that, as of now, the president is focused on protecting both the health of Americans and the economy.
"The president knows America is not meant to be shut down for months at a time and go dormant for three, four, six, nine months. That's why he wants to get this country moving again and moving quickly as possible but only when and where it is safe."
