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Trump Softens Stance On His Power To 'Reopen' American Business

AILSA CHANG, HOST:

So when will the country start to reopen? With most states under stay-at-home orders, that's one of the big questions on a lot of people's minds right now.

ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:

Another question - who gets to decide? Over the last few days, the White House has delivered a mixed message. On Monday, President Trump said the final decision is his.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: When somebody's the president of the United States, the authority is total, and that's the way it's got to be.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER #1: It's total?

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER #2: Your authority is total?

TRUMP: It's total. It's total.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER #2: Your authority is total?

TRUMP: And the governors know that.

CHANG: Well, constitutional scholars have rejected that idea. And yesterday, in the Rose Garden, the president softened his stance.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

TRUMP: The governors are going to be running their individual states. Some of them will say, no, I can't open now. And some of them may last longer than we even would think. Others will say, I can.

SHAPIRO: But he said the White House could still prevent states from opening up too early.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

TRUMP: Now, if we disagree with it, we're not going to let them open. We're not going to let them open. If some governor said - you know, has a lot of problems, a lot of cases, a lot of death and they want to open early, we're not going to let it happen. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.