President Donald Trump falsely declared Monday morning that he has the authority to force states to allow businesses to reopen in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic.
On Twitter, Trump accused the media of “creating conflict and confusion” by (accurately) reporting that only governors can open up their states’ economies.
“Let it be fully understood that this is incorrect,” he tweeted. “It is the decision of the President, and for many good reasons.”
Neither the President nor the federal government have that power. Trump has resisted a nationwide stay-at-home order, so the states have enacted their own. The Bay Area in California was one of the first regions to declare a stay-at-home order, and many other states and cities have followed suit.
Although Trump has been lobbying for a swift end to the directives, which have damaged the economy, governors on both sides of the aisle have pushed back against the idea.
“I think that sometimes we all think we’re going to turn a switch and we’re going to be back to normal, and that’s just not going to happen,” Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) said earlier on Monday.
