After acknowledging during his Tuesday ABC News interview that deaths will likely rise by quickly reopening the American economy during the coronavirus pandemic, President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the American people needed to be “warriors” when asked if the nation needs to accept more casualties.

“We have to be warriors,” the president said during an Oval Office meeting with health-care officials, none of whom were wearing masks. “We can’t keep our country closed down for years.” The president also said that the virus, which has killed more than 71,000 Americans, is “going to disappear,” a common refrain of his. Current polls reveal that the American public is largely opposed to the reopening of most businesses as confirmed COVID-19 cases continue to spike across the nation.