U.S. President Donald Trump declared he has "total” authority to order states to relax social distancing to combat the coronavirus outbreak and reopen their economies, and warned that governors who refuse would face political consequences.
"When someone is president of the United States, the authority is total,” Trump said at a White House news conference Monday. Challenged to substantiate his claim, he said "numerous provisions” support him and offered reporters a legal briefing, though he provided no specifics.
Legal experts and some governors disputed Trump’s claim. The 10th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution reserves for states all powers that aren’t specifically granted to the federal government.