Gov. Andrew Cuomo warned President Trump Tuesday morning that he would have a “problem” if he tried to force New York to end its coronavirus lockdown without Albany approval.
“I don’t know what the president is talking about, frankly,” the governor told the “Today” show about Trump’s claims of “total authority” over when and how to ease restrictions.
“If he pushed it to that absurd point, then we would have a problem,” Cuomo insisted of potential attempts to enforce presidential powers.
“If he thinks he’s going to force this state — or any state, for that matter — to do something that is reckless or irresponsible, that could endanger human life … because if we don’t reopen correctly, you will see those virus numbers go up again, and more people will die,” he said.
“And we paid a heck of a price” to get to where we are, he told the NBC show.
“We don’t have a king, we have a president,” he said.
“It’s very clear — states have the power. The president is just wrong on that point,” he insisted.
Cuomo tempered a rush to reopen just because the Empire State appeared to have passed its period of worst escalation of the contagion.
“It is not over,” he warned. “It’s not a decline — it’s just a flattening of the increase.
“If we stop doing what we’re doing, you will see those numbers go up again. Period.”
He admitted having no idea when the lockdown would start being lifted.
“I don’t [know], and I think if anyone tells you they do, they don’t have an understanding of the issue ahead of us.
“This is all uncharted territory,” he said.