D.C. Mayor: ‘Alarming’ Trump Putting Economy ‘Ahead of Saving Lives’

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said on Tuesday that it is “alarming” that President Donald Trump is willing to put the economy ahead American lives.

“It is alarming to hear the president say that, without medical and health guidance, that he would put the economy, or starting the economy, ahead of saving lives,” Bowser said. “Everything that we’ve done is really absent any national direction, so I think that we will continue to follow what we see on the ground in D.C.”

Bowser, after saying D.C. will continue to coordinate with Maryland and Virginia, said though she is worried about the economy and people getting back to work, paying their bills, and going back to school, it would be “premature to go back to normal before we’ve seen a blunting of the curve in the United States.”

D.C. on Tuesday, joining Maryland and Virginia, closed non-essential businesses and announced that it would close an additional 17 Metro stations beginning on Thursday.