Relationship with China severely damaged, not considering phase-2 trade deal: Trump

Amid tensions with China, US President Donald Trump said today that he is not considering phase-2 trade deal with China.

"The relationship with China has been severely damaged, they could have stopped the plague, they could have stopped it, they didn't stop it," the US president said.

The US president made the comments as he was leaving for Florida which has been hit by a huge coronavirus outbreak in recent weeks. The US president will attend a campaign fundraiser in Florida.

Texas was one of the first US states to reopen in May after several weeks of lockdowns aimed at stemming the spread of coronavirus.

The United States is the hardest hit due to the virus with over 3.1 million cases and over 133,000 deaths. Apart from Florida, COVID-19 infections have been reported in Missouri, Idaho, Alabama,  Montana and Oregon.

Florida has also seen a huge surge in coronavirus cases with Miami-Dade County reporting 33.5 per cent coronavirus positive cases among those who were tested for the virus. 

Houston cancelled the Texas Republican Party's state convention, the mayor announced due to surge in COVID-19 cases.

"This decision is the decision to protect the health and safety of the employees, the delegates and the members of the public," Democratic mayor Sylvester Turner said.

Houston now has 40,012 cases of coronavirus with several cases reported in the past month along with other southern states who have experienced spikes.