President Trump Asks States To Reopen By May 1

By Stefan J. Bos, special correspondent Worthy News

(Worthy News) – U.S. President Donald Trump has told governors that some could begin reopening their states by May 1 or earlier if they wanted despite ongoing coronavirus infections, according to audio recordings distributed Thursday.

“You’re going to call your own shots,” Trump said in a telephone call published by The New York Times newspaper. “You’re going to be calling the shots. We’ll be standing right alongside you, and we’re going to get our country open and get it working. People want to get working.”

The president did not repeat his warning that he would impose his will on when they reopen businesses, schools, and everyday life. He said this week that “the president of the United States calls the shots” and that he had the “total authority” to decide how and when the country reopens.

The audio recording suggested that he would provide guidelines and help them decide for themselves. However, President Trump has been frustrated about extended lockdowns at a time when 22 million Americans have filed for unemployment in the past four weeks.

Trump made a strong economy a crucial part of his re-election campaign ahead of the 2020 presidential vote. But Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government’s top infectious disease expert, expressed doubts. He said Tuesday the U.S. does not yet have the critical testing and tracing procedures needed to begin reopening the nation’s economy. That added some caution to increasingly optimistic projections from the White House.

Trump stressed in separate remarks that some states would be able to reopen ahead of May 1, which marks the end of his administration’s ’30 Days to Slow the Spread’ plan. “We’ll be opening up states — some states much sooner than others. And we think some of the states can actually open up before the deadline of May 1,” Trump claimed this week in the White House Rose Garden.

On Monday, governors from six northeastern states, including hard-hit New York and New Jersey, formed a working group to monitor the new coronavirus outbreak. They want to coordinate plans to reopen parts of the economy eventually. Three west-coast states created their pact later Monday.

The U.S. has more confirmed cases and deaths from the new coronavirus disease COVID-19 than any other country in the world. More than 34,000 people with COVID-19 have died in the United States, and some 700,000 people have been infected, according to several sources Thursday.

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