Trump goads states to lift restrictions

President Donald Trump urged supporters to “LIBERATE” three states led by Democratic governors Friday, apparently endorsing the growing protests against the stay-at-home restrictions aimed at stopping the coronavirus.

A day after laying out a roadmap to gradually reopen the crippled economy, Trump took to Twitter with the kind of rhetoric some of his supporters have used in demanding the lifting of the orders that have thrown millions of Americans out of work.

“LIBERATE MINNESOTA!” “LIBERATE MICHIGAN!” “LIBERATE VIRGINIA,” he said in a tweet-storm in which he also lashed out at New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo for criticizing the federal response. Cuomo “should spend more time

‘doing’ and less time ‘complaining,’” the president said.

Responding to pleas from governors for help from Washington in ramping up testing for the virus, Trump put the burden back on them: “The States have to step up their TESTING!”

Trump has repeatedly expressed his desire to see businesses reopen quickly and claimed earlier this week that he possesses total authority over the matter, even though the lockdowns and other socialdistancing measures have been imposed by state and local leaders, not Washington.

On Thursday, the president detailed a three-step set of guidelines for easing restrictions over a span of several weeks in places that have robust testing and are seeing a decrease in COVID-19 cases, assuring the nation’s governors: “You’re going to call your own shots.”

Governors of both parties Friday suggested they would be cautious in returning to normal, with some of them warning they can’t do it without help from Washington to expand testing.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat who has been critical of the government’s response to the crisis, said she hopes to begin reopening parts of the state’s economy May 1, but it would be done in “smart way” to avoid a second wave of infections.

West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice, a Republican ally of Trump’s, endorsed the White House plan but made clear he will listen to medical experts in deciding how to move forward. He said more testing is needed before any restrictions can be rolled back.

“I am not going to do something that I feel in my heart is the wrong thing that’s going to endanger our people,” he said.

Cuomo, whose state is the most lethal hot spot in the nation and is still seeing over 600 deaths a day, accused the government of “passing the buck without passing the bucks.”

“The federal government cannot wipe its hands of this and say, ‘Oh, the states are responsible for testing.’ We cannot do it. We cannot do it without federal help,” he said.

Worldwide, the outbreak has infected nearly 2.2 million people and killed over 145,000, according to a Johns Hopkins University tally based on figures supplied by government health authorities around the globe, though it has becoming increasingly clear that the true numbers are much higher.

The official death toll in the U.S. neared 34,000, with more than 670,000 confirmed infections.