Fox News anchor Bret Baier said conservatives would have protested President Trump’s recent “total authority” remarks if former President Barack Obama had said them.
Network host Dana Perino asked Baier on Tuesday about the reaction to Trump’s assertion that he has total authority over the economic reopening of states, to which Baier responded it highlights the hypocrisy of Trump supporters.
“How do you see this shaping up across the country with the president’s, with his fiery statements last night and the governor’s trying to pour a little cold water on it?” Perino asked.
“I think that there’s hypocrisy here, in that, you know, one, if President Obama had said those words, that you heard from President Trump, that the authority is total with the presidency, conservatives’ heads would’ve exploded across the board,” he said.
However, Baier later pointed out a contrast in the public messaging of Trump’s critics, who previously advocated that Trump flex his executive authority and initiate a “national stay-at-home order” but now assert he does not have such powers.
“A week ago there was a lot of coverage saying, why isn’t there a national stay-at-home order? … But now, it’s, ‘No, he can’t open up,'” Baier said. “The bottom line is that the president can really influence these governors and work with them,” he added.
“But as far as the top-down order, by the Constitution, you can’t do that.”
During a Monday White House press briefing, the president declared he possessed the total authority to reopen business amid the coronavirus pandemic.
“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. “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,” later adding, “They can’t do anything without the approval of the president of the United States.”
