Trump continues to downplay the risk of children spreading coronavirus and threatens to take away funding that schools need now more than ever, as he pushes to reopen schools without ensuring it can be done safely.

In his Fox News Sunday interview that aired yesterday, Trump doubled down on his threat to defund schools that don’t reopen, despite schools saying they need more funding to reopen safely.

TRUMP: “Young people have to go to school, and there’s problems when you don’t go to school, too. And there’s going to be a funding problem because we’re not going to fund – when they don’t open their schools. We’re not going to fund them. We’re not going to give them money if they’re not going to school. If they don’t open.”

Trump also continued to downplay the risk of schools reopening without ensuring it is done safely.

TRUMP: “Chris, let the schools open. Do you ever see the statistics on young people below the age of 18? The state of New Jersey had thousands of deaths. Of all of these thousands, one person below the age of 18 – in the entire state – one person and that was a person that had, I believe he said diabetes. One person below the age of 18 died in the state of New Jersey during all of this – you know, they had a hard time. And they’re doing very well now, so that’s it.”

A new study showed that children and teenagers can spread the virus at least as well as adults do.

New York Times: “A large new study from South Korea offers an answer: Children younger than 10 transmit to others much less often than adults do, but the risk is not zero. And those between the ages of 10 and 19 can spread the virus at least as well as adults do. The findings suggest that as schools reopen, communities will see clusters of infection take root that include children of all ages, several experts cautioned.”

As Trump pushes for schools to reopen, he is blocking the CDC from sharing vital information on how to safely reopen schools.

USA Today: “The White House blocked Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield from testifying before Congress this week on how to safely reopen schools amid the coronavirus pandemic, multiple outlets reported.”

Despite the White House’s claims, Trump’s plan to reopen schools is not supported by science — but Vice President Biden’s plan is.

Washington Post: “Late last week, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said: ‘When [Trump] says open, he means open in full, kids being able to attend each and every day at their school. The science should not stand in the way of this.’ A few seconds later, she said the ‘science is on our side.’ Actually, the science that is known today about the coronavirus — and there is still a great deal to learn — would not suggest the Trump plan to open schools regardless of local conditions. It would favor the Biden plan — to allow local conditions and school resources to dictate decisions — which follows the advice of experts, including Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.”