FACT CHECK: Trump Doesn't Have The Authority To Order States To 'Reopen'
The president claimed "total" authority, per unnamed constitutional provisions. Experts remind him he is not a king, and cite Articles I, II, III; the 10th Amendment; and the Founding Fathers.
President Trump at a briefing Monday night made an assertion that likely would have surprised the framers of the U.S. Constitution: that as president, his authority is "total" and that he has the power to order states â which have told businesses to close and people to remain at home to limit the spread of the coronavirus â to reopen.
"The president of the
