As states make own plans to reopen government, Trump says he ‘calls the shots’
President Donald Trump says he has the power to decide when it’s safe to relax social distancing guidelines and reopen the U.S. economy — an assessment that could put the president on a collision course with governors who believe they are the ones with the authority to withdraw the restrictions on everyday life they put in place to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Depending on if or when Trump attempts to take unilateral action, it could lead to an especially fraught confrontation between the president and South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, one of Trump’s most loyal allies who is in charge of a state that is not due to see a peak number of COVID-19 cases for another few weeks.
Trump raised eyebrows Monday morning when he tweeted that the “Fake News Media” was attempting to “create(e) conflict and confusion” by suggesting governors, not the president, had the power to “open up the states.”
“Let it be fully understood that this is incorrect,” he said on Twitter. “It is the decision of the President, and for many good reasons.”
Trump added that while he will make the final decision “shortly,” he would ultimately do so “in conjunction with the Governors and input from others.”
It wasn’t immediately clear whether Trump was offering a personal assessment of presidential prerogative or whether his view of his own executive power was shared by others in the administration.
At a press conference Monday evening, Trump announced his team “will soon finalize new and very important guidelines to give governors the information they need to start safely opening their states,” adding that “my administration’s plan, and corresponding guidelines, will give the American people the confidence they need to begin returning to normal life.
“The president has the authority to do what the president has the authority to do, which is very powerful” Trump told reporters. “The president of the United States calls the shots.”
McMaster told reporters at his own press conference Monday that he hopes to get the state’s economy back up and running soon, adding a state economic revitalization plan is coming. He did not offer any other details about the plan or say when that plan would be released.
“We’re trying to do as much damage to the virus as we can,” McMaster said. “We want to get all these businesses going back as soon as we can.”
In response to Trump’s tweet, McMaster said he didn’t know what it said but defended the president, saying he and his administration have openly collaborated and communicated with governors.
“And I know that the president and his administration control a lot of resources,” McMaster said. “We know that from FEMA (the Federal Emergency Management Administration) and everything else involved. ... But he has made it clear he is relying on the governors and the local authorities to give him the information that he needs to make his decisions.”
Is he feeling any pressure from the president to reopen the state’s economy?
“No, sir,” McMaster said. “He has not been given any pressure. He’s asking for information.”
Predictably, some S.C. Democrats fired warning shots towards Washington on Monday as Trump toyed with idea he might try to dictate a coronavirus response to states that are experiencing the strain of the pandemic at different intensity levels, at different times.
South Carolina had a total of 3,439 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 87 deaths throughout the state as of Monday afternoon, according to the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control. Assuming social distancing guidelines are kept in effect through May, DHEC has so far projected more than 8,000 cases by the end of that month.
“Considering the fact that to a great degree we are in this dilemma because of the president’s failure to act, it’s amazing to me that he now wants us to wait on him as to what states should be able to do, which is an incorrect statement of the law and the Constitution,” said S.C. House Minority Leader Todd Rutherford, D-Richland. “I don’t know how he believes he can order states, or tell states what to do.”
Asked by a reporter at the White House briefing where in the Constitution Trump has the authority reopen states unilaterally, Trump said there were “numerous provisions” without elaborating.
Like Trump, McMaster has also faced criticism from some Democrats for not ordering closures for nonessential businesses and schools more quickly.
At least one South Carolina Republican elected official agreed with Rutherford that Trump would be out of bounds trying to override McMaster’s actions.
“Let’s pump the brakes here. States’ rights are a cornerstone of our founding. Even during a pandemic,” State Sen. Sean Bennett, R-Dorchester, tweeted.
State Rep. Nancy Mace, R-Berkeley, who is running for Congress in the 1st Congressional District, said that “states should certainly have a say in whether or not their economies should open back up and what that approach should be.”
She added, however, that the federal government should continue to make recommendations that states could consider.
State Sen. Tom Davis, a Beaufort Republican who previously served in then-Gov. Mark Sanford’s administration, was also diplomatic.
“What I’ve heard from President Trump and others ... is that the federal government stands in support and stands as a facilitator to assist state governors, (who) will then make particular decisions appropriate for the state,” said Davis.
Davis said that he had not seen Trump’s tweet, nor had he heard of any change regarding state response from the Trump administration, adding that some people might be inferring too much from what was said: “If the federal government is changing that, I had not heard there was a change in policy.”
But Davis said when it comes to public health and getting the economy reopened, there’s an important balance to strike.
“Everybody’s got to be at the table,” he said. “It is not a black or white sort of issue. It’s more gray.”
This story was originally published April 13, 2020 at 4:20 PM.
