Trump goads states to lift virus restrictions
President escalates battle against governors, facts with latest tweetstorm
WASHINGTON—U.S. President Donald Trump urged supporters to “LIBERATE” three states led by Democratic governors Friday, apparently encouraging the growing protests against the stay-at-home restrictions aimed at stopping the coronavirus.
A day after laying out a road map 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 tweetstorm 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 social-distancing 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 country’s governors: “You’re going to call your own shots.”
Some states did take some of the country’s first, small steps toward loosening restrictions.
In Florida, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis gave the green light for municipalities to reopen beaches and parks if they can do so safely. In Texas, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott said stores can begin selling curbside, non-essential surgery can resume and state parks can reopen.
But governors of both parties Friday suggested they would be cautious in returning to normal, with some of them warning that 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, acknowledged that people are “very anxious” about their livelihoods and worried about paying the rent when they are out of work.
“But the last thing I want to do is to have a second wave here, so we’ve got to be really smart,” she said.