'He understands': Trump sidesteps whether Fauci agrees on new timetable to end quarantine in three weeks

President continues to push for short shutdown to revive economy despite growing coronavirus threat

Donald Trump says the top health official leading the administration's coronavirus response "understands" the president's demands to end the effective US shutdown.

Asked if Dr Anthony Fauci agrees with him, the president said: "He doesn't not agree with me."

The president has suggested he won't extend an effective shutdown meant to curb the spread of the virus as the White House approaches the end of a 15-day closure, despite surges in Covid-19 cases that have ballooned to more than 40,000 across the US. The World Health Organization has warned that the pandemic is "accelerating" despite global quarantine attempts.

Dr Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, did not attend Monday's briefing. The doctor has repeatedly contradicted the president's wildly optimistic or false claims and has reportedly growing frustrated with the administration.

He recently said in an interview: "I can't jump in front of the microphone and push him down. OK, he said it. Let's try and get it corrected for the next time."

After arguing that business as usual should continue in the coming weeks to keep the economy moving, the president said on Monday that doctors in his administration haven't "endorsed" easing those restrictions but he claimed "they're OK with it".

Asked whether any health officials agree that guidelines should be eased within a week, the president said: "If it were up to the doctors, they may say, 'Let's keep it shut down. Let's shut down the entire world.'"

The president said that the economy was a "fine-tuned machine" but said that the pandemic "just happened — this horrible virus came from... wherever."

He said that Dr Fauci "fully understands that" but refused to answer whether health officials in his administration support potentially life-saving quarantine efforts while the number of cases continues to climb.

The president has not provided any scientific basis for determining the outbreak would slow by May or June, but the economic crisis in its wake has emerged as an existential threat to his presidency after he has touted the stock market's success as proof of his legitimacy in office.

Stock market gains made during his presidency have been virtually eliminated since the virus panicked world markets, while unemployment claims could reach as high as 30 per cent.