President Donald Trump has defended tweets in which he appeared to endorse protests against stringent lockdown measures in several US states.
At his Friday briefing, he said some measures imposed by Minnesota, Michigan and Virginia had been "too tough".
Earlier, he wrote in a series of tweets: "LIBERATE MINNESOTA", "LIBERATE MICHIGAN" and then "LIBERATE VIRGINIA".
The curbs, which include stay-at-home orders, are needed to slow the spread of coronavirus.
But protesters say they are hurting citizens by limiting movement unreasonably and stifling economic activity.
