This coronavirus pandemic seems to have everyone a little on edge, does it not?
We’re all being told that the things that we love to do the most are verboten; visiting friends and family, going to sporting events, eating at restaurants. We’re at home and we’re cranky and, at some point, we’re going to get sick of it.
Of course, the problem is that this social distancing has worked to curb the spread of COVID-19, and hopefully flatten the curve, so we have to keep at it.
President Trump, who has presided over an incredibly strong economy up until our nation entered this quasi-lockdown, is looking to get the nation back up and running as quickly as possible. State governors aren’t on the same page with POTUS, however, and have threatened to ignore his suggestions if they may not fit the forecast at the local level.
This didn’t go over well with the President.
President Donald Trump claimed the “total” authority Monday to decide how and when to reopen the economy after weeks of tough social distancing guidelines aimed at fighting the new coronavirus. But governors from both parties were quick to push back, noting they have primary responsibility for ensuring public safety in their states and would decide when it’s safe to begin a return to normal operations.
Trump would not offer specifics about the source of his asserted power, which he claimed, despite constitutional limitations, was absolute.
“When somebody is president of the United States, the authority is total,” Trump said at the White House. “The governors know that.”
New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo responded by suggesting that the Empire State could sue the Trump administration if there were adverse effects from any “early” restarts.
