Trump defends response to coronavirus: 'I don't want people to die -- that's what I'm all about'

President Donald Trump told reporters on Thursday that he does not want Americans to die from the novel coronavirus.

Trump made the remarks while meeting with Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar at the White House. Ireland, which has reported one death from COVID-19, had recently closed schools and colleges.

The U.S. president also said that he was not concerned that the Brazilian president's spokesperson had tested positive for COVID-19 after he met with Trump and Vice President Mike Pence at Mar-a-Lago.

"We want to lose as few people as possible," Trump told reporters on Thursday. "We have 32 deaths at this point. 32 is a lot. 32 is too many but when you think of deaths coming out of other countries, it’s pretty amazing.”

Trump later said: "The question is how many people will die. I don't want people to die. That's what I'm all about."

Read some of the pool reports and watch the video below.