US Democratic Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has given President Donald Trump the nickname "Mr Make Matters Worse" in reference to his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
She made the comment while slamming his efforts to contain the virus, saying he believes it will "go away magically".
"I have a new name for him, Mr Make Matters Worse," she told TV news programme Face The Nation on Sunday (local time).
"He has made matters worse from the start. Delay, denial. It's a hoax."
Pelosi was responding to Trump's push to reopen kindergartens and schools when the country's academic year starts in September.
"The best way to send our children to school is to fund it," she says, talking about the need for ventilation, physical distancing and additional teachers to allow this to happen.
"That takes money. That's in the HEROES Act," she added, referencing a COVID-19 relief package that was passed in May.
Trump has pushed for schools to reopen across the US, saying children are less likely to become seriously ill from the virus if it spreads, NPR reports.
It followed new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention which emphasises the "critical" importance of opening schools in person.
But Pelosi says this could force teachers and other essential workers to perform jobs they may feel unsafe doing.
"What [the Trump administration is] saying to essential workers, you have to go to work because you're essential. We've placed no responsibility on your employer to make that workplace safe and if you get sick, you have no recourse because we've given your employer protection," she told Face The Nation.
"And if you don't go to work because you're afraid of being sick and you have that job opportunity, you don't get unemployment insurance. This is so unfair."
The push to reopen schools comes as the US surpasses 4.23 million total COVID-19 cases and nears 150,000 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
