The Trump administration is privately estimating the daily coronavirus death rate will double in the next month

Publicly, the Trump administration is pushing for states to let businesses reopen amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Privately, it's forecasting a very disturbing future.

The Trump administration is forecasting the U.S. daily death toll from coronavirus will rise to 3,000 by June 1. That's nearly twice the current toll of 1,750 deaths per day, The New York Times reports via an internal administration document.

The White House's prediction is based on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention modeling, though reported COVID-19 deaths have already far outpaced the CDC's model. The CDC also predicts the U.S. could go from adding about 25,000 new coronavirus cases every day to adding 200,000 or more daily by the end of the month. As some states resume business as usual, those growth rates could further worsen.

More stories from theweek.com
Trump is pursuing a herd immunity strategy — whether intentionally or not
How George W. Bush exposed Trump's biggest failure
Trump doesn't wear mask during tour of Arizona mask production facility