Trump argues he has 'total' authority over shutdown

President Donald Trump has claimed he has the “total” authority to decide how and when to reopen the US economy after weeks of tough social distancing guidelines aimed at fighting the new coronavirus.

Trump would not offer specifics about the source of his asserted power, which he claimed, despite constitutional limitations, was absolute.

“When somebody is president of the United States, the authority is total,” he said on Monday at the White House, adding: “The governors know that.”

The comments came not long after Democratic leaders in the Northeast and along the West Coast announced separate state compacts to coordinate their efforts to scale back stay-at-home orders or reopen businesses on their own timetables.

Governors from both parties were quick to push back against Trump's comments, noting they had primary responsibility for ensuring public safety in their states and would decide when it's safe to begin a return to normal operations.

The US constitution gives public health and safety responsibilities primarily to state and local officials.