Trump says there is 'light at the end of the tunnel' after grim warnings of coronavirus death toll rising

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Trump's tougher tone on virus

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President Trump tweeted Monday that there is a “light at the end of the tunnel,” following a series of grim warnings about this week’s expected death toll from coronavirus.

“LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL,” Trump tweeted Monday. “USA STRONG!”

The president warned over the weekend that this week “will probably be the toughest week.”

SURGEON GENERAL WARNS THIS WEEK WILL BE OUR 'PEARL HARBOR MOMENT' AS COVID-19 DEATH TOLL EXPECTED TO RISE

“There will be a lot of death, unfortunately. But a lot less death than if this wasn’t done,” Trump said Friday. “But there will be death.”

Also over the weekend, U.S. Surgeon General Vice Adm. Jerome Adams issued a dire warning that the coronavirus outbreak has yet to hit its expected peak.

“It’s tragically fitting that we’re talking at the beginning of Holy Week because this is going to be the hardest and saddest week of most Americans’ lives, quite frankly,” Adams said on “Fox News Sunday,” comparing it to historic national tragedies.

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“This is going to be our Pearl Harbor moment, our 9/11 moment, only it’s not going to be localized,” he continued. “It’s going to be happening all over the country. And I want America to understand that.”

TRUMP WARNS OF ROUGH WEEK AHEAD: 'THERE WILL BE DEATH'

Adams did offer a hopeful note – which Trump echoed Monday – saying that “as hard as this week is going to be, there is a light at the end of the tunnel, if everyone does their part for the next 30 days.”

He added: “This is going to be a test of our resolve. It’s going to be the test of our lives. But I am confident, that we can come out on the other side, based on the data and based on what I know about the American people.”

On March 27, the United States hit the 100,000 case benchmark. On April 1, the number of Americans infected doubled to more than 200,000 cases. Just three days later, on Saturday, positive COVID-19 cases topped 300,000.

As of Monday morning, the U.S. reported more than 337,000 positive cases of COVID-19, and more than 9,600 deaths. The White House has warned that the U.S. could see between 100,000 and 200,000 deaths due to the novel coronavirus.

Fox News' Marisa Schultz and Ronn Blitzer contributed to this report.