Claims presidential authority over reopening states is 'total'

At an April 13, 2020 coronavirus task force briefing, Trump asserted that his authority to order the reopening of state economies was unlimited, telling reporters, 'When somebody is the President of the United States, the authority is total, and that's the way it's got to be.' When a reporter cited the Tenth Amendment and asked what constitutional provision supported the claim, Trump said he would provide 'a legal brief' and repeated, 'It's total. It's total.' Vice President Pence, appearing alongside him, offered a narrower formulation, describing federal emergency powers as 'unquestionably plenary' while saying the administration intended to work with governors. Governors of both parties and legal scholars publicly disputed the claim in the following days, and Trump did not repeat the assertion at subsequent briefings.

“When somebody is the President of the United States, the authority is total, and that's the way it's got to be.” Quote verified against source