New York’s Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo suggested Tuesday he’s willing to sue President Trump if the president orders his state to lift the coronavirus stay-at-home order too early.
“If he ordered me to reopen in a way that would endanger the public health of the people of my state, I wouldn’t do it,” Cuomo told CNN. “And we would have a constitutional challenge between the state and the federal government, and that would go into the courts. And that would be the worst possible thing he could do at this moment, would be to act dictatorial and to act in a partisan, divisive way.”
.@NYGovCuomo: “If [Trump] ordered me to reopen in a way that would endanger the public health of the people of my state, I wouldn’t do it.”https://t.co/dzwqZDXW2Y pic.twitter.com/0oSYdlops0
— New Day (@NewDay) April 14, 2020
Trump responded to Cuomo’s comment within hours, blaming the governor for not having the state as prepared as it needed to be before the virus outbreak.
“Cuomo’s been calling daily, even hourly, begging for everything, most of which should have been the state’s responsibility, such as new hospitals, beds, ventilators, etc,” Trump said on Twitter. “I got it all done for him, and everyone else, and now he seems to want Independence! That won’t happen!”
Cuomo’s been calling daily, even hourly, begging for everything, most of which should have been the state’s responsibility, such as new hospitals, beds, ventilators, etc. I got it all done for him, and everyone else, and now he seems to want Independence! That won’t happen!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 14, 2020
Trump sparked controversy Monday when he said that his “authority is total” to determine when states reopen from coronavirus shutdowns.
“The president of the United States has the authority to do what the president has the authority to do, which is very powerful. The president of the United States calls the shots,” Trump said during a coronavirus press conference at the White House. “If we weren’t here for the states, you would’ve had a problem in this country like you’ve never seen before.”
“It’s a decision for the president of the United States. Now, with that being said, we’re going to work with the states because it’s very important,” he added, with the caveat that “they can’t do anything without the approval of the president of the United States.”
