Four Pinocchios for Trump’s claim that he has ‘total authority’ over the states

“When somebody is the president of the United States, the authority is total. And that’s the way it’s got to be. It’s total.” <

— President Trump, at a White House news briefing, April 13, 2020

Steve Holland, Reuters: “There’s a debate over what authority you have to order the country reopened. What authority do you have on this one?”

Trump: “Well, I have the ultimate authority.”

— Exchange at the briefing

At a coronavirus news briefing Monday, Trump said he could order hunkered-down states to reopen their economies. He claimed to have the “ultimate authority” on such decisions and that his authority was “total.”

This will be a short fact check, because the president of the United States is not a king.

The Facts

After declaring independence from Britain and shaking off the yoke of King George III, the Founders of the United States adopted a system of government in which power would be split between the states and a centralized federal government. Continue reading.