After Monday’s nearly three-hour press briefing on what should have focused only on the coronavirus pandemic, it’s now clear that the purportedly “conservative” President Trump is not that at all. We know that because of his assertion that he has “total” authority over governors to reopen the states’ economies.
“When somebody’s the president of the United States,” he said, “the authority is total. And that is the way it’s going to be. It’s total. It’s total. And the governors know that.”
He expounded later on Twitter that (the omnipresent “some”) are “saying that it is the Governors decision, not that of the President of the United States & the Federal Government. Let it be fully understood that this is incorrect … (emphasis added) it is the decision of the President, and for many good reasons.”
Presidents who assert significant new policies or decisions usually come equipped with explanations. Not Trump. When reporters asked him to explain how he came to that conclusion, he cited “numerous provisions” in the Constitution.
Did he reveal those provisions? Oh, please. Legal experts who know what they’re talking about pointed out that the Constitution gives states sole authority during public health crises, and governors the right to decide when it is safe to lift any restrictions posted to protect the public.