Trump, Cuomo clash as NY governor threatens to defy potential order to reopen economy

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Trump says he, not governors, has power to reopen US economy

Wall Street Journal associate editor John Bussey on who has the power to reopen states after coronavirus lockdown.

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New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and President Trump clashed in heated terms Tuesday over who is ultimately responsible for reopening the economy: the states or the federal government.

Trump said at a Monday press briefing that he has “total” authority over this -- but Cuomo told CNN on Tuesday morning that if Trump ordered states to reopen before he is ready to do so, he would defy the order and fight the administration in court.

CUOMO SAYS TRUMP HAS 'DELIVERED FOR NEW YORK' BUT CAN BE 'VICIOUS'

As Trump raged against the Democratic governor on Twitter, Cuomo used his daily briefing later in the morning to give Trump a history lecture, quoting Alexander Hamilton in saying it was up to states to determine what happens within their respective borders, and that the president cannot control them through “federal encroachments” that undermine states’ rights.

“We don’t have a king in this country,” Cuomo said. “We didn’t want a king, so we have a Constitution and we elect a president.”

The feud began with a series of TV interviews by Cuomo.

“If he ordered me to reopen in a way that would endanger the public health of the people of my state, I wouldn’t do it,” Cuomo told CNN earlier Tuesday morning. “And we would have a constitutional challenge between the state and the federal government and that would go into the courts and that would be the worst possible thing he could do at this moment.”

The fight escalated and expanded quickly from there, with Trump first blasting Cuomo for seeking "Independence" and then likening the tensions with numerous states to a “mutiny.”

"Tell the Democrat Governors that 'Mutiny On The Bounty' was one of my all time favorite movies. A good old fashioned mutiny every now and then is an exciting and invigorating thing to watch, especially when the mutineers need so much from the Captain. Too easy!" he tweeted.

Cuomo, in his interview, said that the Constitution places this power in the hands of the states. To that end, he has recently outlined key objectives for reopening New York after weeks of social-distancing restrictions tied to the coronavirus pandemic, and has discussed a regional approach with governors of neighboring states.

“We have the Tenth Amendment that is explicit," Cuomo said. Certain responsibilities are state responsibilities. Health, welfare, quarantine, those are health responsibilities. So the president should not even think of going there."

The governor stated that the Constitution “says the exact opposite that the president said” about the federal government’s power.

CLICK FOR COMPLETE COVERAGE OF THE CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK

Cuomo noted that Trump’s Monday remarks ran contrary to the administration’s previous stance, which was to recognize governors’ role in deciding how and when to shut down activities in their states.

“You know the first position, he stepped back and said it’s up to the states. This is stepping forward and trying to step over the states which is, frankly, I think more partisan, more divisive, and more dangerous,” he said.

Later in the morning, Trump fired back, implying that the governor only wants control when it is convenient for him.

"Cuomo’s been calling daily, even hourly, begging for everything, most of which should have been the state’s responsibility, such as new hospitals, beds, ventilators, etc.," Trump tweeted. "I got it all done for him, and everyone else, and now he seems to want Independence! That won’t happen!"

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Cuomo has not been shy when it comes to criticizing – or praising – Trump for his handling of the pandemic. While he called the president’s current approach to reopening the economy a “dictatorial theory,” he told Howard Stern in a Monday interview that Trump “has delivered for New York.”

In the same interview, he said the president could be "vicious" in his attacks.