President Trump on Monday backed Pennsylvania residents who oppose restrictions intended to slow the spread of the coronavirus in the state and accused Democratic governors of leaving such measures in place “for political purposes.”
“The great people of Pennsylvania want their freedom now, and they are fully aware of what that entails,” Trump tweeted.
“The Democrats are moving slowly, all over the USA, for political purposes. They would wait until November 3rd if it were up to them,” he added, referring to Election Day. “Don’t play politics. Be safe, move quickly!”
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Trump has previously expressed support for protesters demonstrating against stay-at-home orders, but the new criticism of Pennsylvania comes ahead of his expected trip to the battleground state this week.
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolfe (D) has sparked pushback from state Republicans for his deliberate pace in reopening the state, which has more than 56,000 total cases of coronavirus.
The Supreme Court last Wednesday denied a request from a conservative political action committee and several businesses to halt Wolf’s stay-at-home order amid the pandemic.
The governor last week announced that 13 counties in the state would be able to lift some restrictions, allowing certain businesses to operate with proper social distancing in place. Four counties that were not given permission to reopen have indicated they plan to do so in defiance of Wolf’s orders, according to local media.
The president’s tweet on Monday also comes as his administration attempts to convince the country that it is safe to reopen businesses and return to work, even as polling shows many Americans favor leaving restrictions in place. In addition, many states are seeing their total case numbers increase week-to-week.
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- Discussion
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Trump targets Pennsylvania over coronavirus restrictions, claims people want their "freedom" https://t.co/xf625vVa2S
— The Hill (@thehill) May 11, 2020
More showboating to entertain Trump fans and win votes from the faithful in Pennsylvania.
While I agree my governor is an idiot and his reopening plan is haphazard, illogical and way too reluctant, it is the right of every governor to decide how best to return to normal in his or her state. Trump has no right to interfere in the governor’s decisions. Throughout this whole pandemic, Trump has not provided any guidance or assistance to the states — or to anyone else for that matter. From the outset, this pandemic has been all about him and his re-election. He doesn’t really care about the states or the well being of the people in them.
I’ve said all along that none of us should expect anything from Trump, his various task forces or anyone else in DC. We are all on our own. So, Mr. President, do us all a favor and butt out. We will take care of ourselves.
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