New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is pushing back against President Donald Trump’s claim of “total” authority to reopen the nation’s virus-stalled economy.
Cuomo said on NBC's “Today” on Tuesday that “We don't have a king. We have a president.”
"It says the exact opposite that the President said. It says that would be a king. We would have had King George Washington. We didn't have King George Washington and we don't have King Trump, we have President Trump."
He said on CNN that if Trump ordered him to reopen New York's economy prematurely, he wouldn't do it.
Trump said Monday that for the president of the United States, ”the authority is total.”
He was reacting to moves by governors on both coasts to form multi-state compacts to coordinate reopening society amid the global pandemic.
Meanwhile, Gov. Gavin Newsom says he'll reveal plans Tuesday for gradually releasing California from the coronavirus restrictions that have kept 40 million residents indoors for much of the last month.
Newsom on Monday didn't provide specifics or a date for the rollback but said he'll work with the governors of Oregon and Washington on a common plan.
Newsom's monthlong stay-at-home order has shut down many businesses and millions have filed for unemployment.
But state and local stay-at-home orders also have been cited as helping slow the rise in COVID-19 cases.
Only a modest increase in hospitalizations was reported this weekend.
(Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.)
