Trump: 'America grieves' for 150K virus victims

President Donald Trump kicked off his White House coronavirus briefing Thursday with a tribute to former GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain, who died after battling the coronavirus at the age of 74.

Trump called Cain "a wonderful man and a dear friend."

Cain had been ill with the virus for several weeks. It’s not clear when or where he was infected, but he was hospitalized less than two weeks after attending President Donald Trump’s campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in June.

The president also said the country "grieves for all of the 150,000 Americans who had their lives taken by this horrible invisible enemy."

Trump said despite the surge in cases both around the United States and the world, another shutdown is not an option.

"A shutdown to achieve a temporary reduction in cases is certainly not a viable long term strategy for any country," he said.