'Total authority': Trump's claim about presidential power gets pushback across political spectrum
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump's claim that he has total authority over governors to "reopen" states drew pushback Monday, including from some fellow conservatives.
During Monday's press briefing on the coronavirus pandemic, Trump said, “When somebody’s president of the United States, the authority is total. And that’s the way it’s got to to be. It's total. It’s total. And the governors know that."
Federal law allows the federal government to impose quarantines in some circumstances and limit travel between states, but the Trump administration has not invoked those powers. The Supreme Court has struck down attempts by the federal government to intervene within states and Trump would not offer specifics about the source of this power when pressed by members of the press.