Oh, he really did. Early in the pandemic in May of 2020. When Trump was told that Covid could kill 2 million if it was allowed to run unchecked. Which is what prompted him to do the weak lockdown.

The Texas GOP went nuts over that. Everyone knew it was going to be a massive hit to the economy in an election year. That's all they were focused on. They did not want people to stay home.

So, even though they knew C-19 killed those over 65 at a 7-1 ratio to those under 45, they wanted to let the virus spread. Senior citizens were supposed to "take the hit" for the sake of a strong economy for their grandchildren.

The Lt. Governor of Texas came right out and said it.

Here's the thing. It was popular among Trumpublican voters. Keeping the economy humming was more important to them than saving "old people who are mostly in nursing homes anyway".