President Donald Trump has just unleashed a dramatic claim – some might call it a threat – that only he can re-open the country, after the vast majority of governors issued stay at home orders to protect the public from the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.
Trump says he will consult with the governors, who he falsely suggested over the weekend were not doing enough testing, but will decide soon when to rescind the executive orders of the nation’s governors. (States are not responsible for testing, the federal government is.)
“For the purpose of creating conflict and confusion, some in the Fake News Media are saying that it is the Governors decision to open up the states, not that of the President of the United States & the Federal Government. Let it be fully understood that this is incorrect,” Trump tweeted late Monday morning.
The President is incorrect.
“It is the decision of the President, and for many good reasons,” he continued, without naming any. “With that being said, the Administration and I are working closely with the Governors, and this will continue. A decision by me, in conjunction with the Governors and input from others, will be made shortly!”
Any decision to order the states to re-open soon could be met with lawsuits, and will be met with nationwide outrage.
While some claim the coronavirus “curve” is under control, the only reason the reported deaths are in the tens of thousands and not hundreds of thousands is governors’ orders to stay at home.
Many coronavirus deaths are not being reported, and testing is at a bare minimum.
Trump has been pushing for weeks to re-open the country, and waited months to respond to the many reports warning of an impending pandemic.