“When somebody’s president of the United States, the authority is total.”

That’s what Donald Trump said Monday, claiming he can overrule any governor who doesn’t conform to his recklessly rushed timeline for “reopening” the country.

In case it needs to be said, Trump has no such authority whatsoever.

Every state governor is empowered to keep stay-at-home orders in place to protect residents during the coronavirus emergency.

Now — as with so many of the obnoxious and unfounded things Trump says — we should be mindful that whether he actually means it, he most definitely intends for it to incite his base and distract the rest of us.

So there wouldn’t be much point in a petition, for example, telling Trump to stop being such a dictator.

But something we can do that will help is to let our governors know we’re counting on them to put public health before partisan politics.

Tell governors to reopen their states only when the experts — not Donald Trump — say it is safe to do so.

Add your name now.

Thanks for taking action.

Stay safe.

- Robert Weissman, President of Public Citizen

P.S. This message is part of our ongoing outreach to help you stay informed and involved as our nation and the world grapple with the coronavirus emergency. Public Citizen — like many nonprofits and other small businesses — is feeling the financial strain as this crisis intensifies. If you can, please consider donating to support the critical work we’re doing together. Thank you.
 
 
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