“We’ll see what happens,” President Trump said, he has reportedly been anxious about the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on the country’s economy. But now, he has said that he was eager to reopen the US economy in weeks, not months, even though the death toll from the virus continues to rise.

Trump made the remarks at a White House press briefing Monday in which he continuously refused to confirm that he would adhere to public health authorities if they advocated to keep restrictive public health measures in place, even at the cost of the economy.

It is evident now that Trump is pivoting from the science and fact-driven plan of containing the outbreak by minimizing social interactions. He tweeted, on Sunday night, “WE CANNOT LET THE CURE BE WORSE THAN THE PROBLEM ITSELF. AT THE END OF THE 15 DAY PERIOD, WE WILL MAKE A DECISION AS TO WHICH WAY WE WANT TO GO!”  Experts on the current administration speculate that this suggests that Trump is worried that the strict measures taken to counter and contain the pandemic, in an effort to save lives- might be causing too much economic loss.

This trend has not gone unnoticed. The New York Times reported that “at the White House, in recent days, there has been a growing sentiment that medical experts were allowed to set policy that has hurt the economy, and there has been a push to find ways to let people start returning to work.” The story further noted, “Trump has become frustrated with Dr. Fauci’s blunt approach at the briefing lectern, which often contradicts things the president has just said, according to two people familiar with the dynamic.”

 Dr. Anthony Fauci has been saying that severe social distancing measures will likely be required for weeks to come—longer than the 15 days Trump initially called for.

That has not gone over well with Trump, and now it seems the president is going rogue.