‘The Authority is Total’: Trump Claims He Can Force US Governors to Reopen States

During the daily White House Coronavirus Task Force briefing on Monday, US President Donald Trump said that he has the complete authority to force governors across the US to reopen states, saying that as president his “authority is total.”

Trump has repeatedly noted that his decision to reopen the country will be a difficult decision; however, when asked about US governors having the authority to reopen their respective states, Trump gave a bold statement.

Moments later, a reporter informed Trump that his remarks were “not true.” Trump ultimately responded by stating that the administration would be “writ[ing] up papers on this.”

When the matter was questioned once again, the president simply stated “enough,” before questions shifted elsewhere.

Monday’s briefing, however, didn’t stop there. 

Trump Draws Outrage Over ‘Campaign Ad’ Played at Briefing

Amid criticism from the press about his response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Trump decided to defend himself by playing a collection of video clips praising the actions by his administration.

​In the series of clips, governors, New York Times reporters and other critics of Trump praised his administration’s response to the virus. However, many quickly identified how much it resembled the videos Trump commonly tweets out against his adversaries and critics and, more problematically, a campaign ad. The president is seeking re-election in the upcoming November 2020 election.

Several news networks reportedly cut away from the briefing while the video played, including CNN and MSNBC. 

Viewers quickly took to Twitter to express their amazement, befuddlement and amusement at the whole episode.

Sourse: sputniknews.com