Trump says saving lives more important than stock market figures

U.S. President Donald Trump says saving lives in the coronavirus pandemic is more important than the numbers on the stock market, amid sharply sinking indices in New York.

“I don’t want people dying. That’s what I am all about,” Trump said at the White House, calling his move to ban most travel from Europe a “tough decision.”

The president, who has often touted stock market gains since taking office, said those numbers are “not important compared to life and death.”

About the markets, he predicted: “It’s all going to bounce back,” pledging to push ahead with a stimulus programme, even as his Republican Party is pushing back against an aid package proposed by the Democrats.