White House risks backlash with coronavirus optimism

White House officials are taking an optimistic view of the country’s progress in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic, a risky bet that could backfire if cases flare up again as more states begin lifting social distancing measures.

Top administration officials in recent days have started laying out specific timetables for when they believe the pandemic will be in the rearview mirror. The sunny declarations come as the White House pushes to revive the economy that has been central to President Trump’s reelection bid.

Senior White House adviser Jared Kushner told “Fox & Friends” on Wednesday that “a lot of the country should be back to normal” by June and “really rocking again” by July, calling the federal response to the virus a “great success story.”

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Sunday predicted the economy would “really bounce back” in July, August and September.

Those remarks followed comments by Vice President Pence, who told Geraldo Rivera that "if you look at the trends today ... I think by Memorial Day weekend we will largely have this coronavirus epidemic behind us.”