Appearing on a CNN virtual town hall with Anderson Cooper and Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Fauci was confronted by Gupta on why Trump suggested that restrictions could soon be eased when the number of coronavirus cases per day continues to dramatically escalate across the country.

“Why raise the idea that a pullback is even close?” Gupta asked.

“I think what the president was trying to do, he was making an aspirational projection to give people some hope,” Fauci replied.