As Trump invokes presidential powers to fight the coronavirus, he sows confusion along the way
Politics
As Trump invokes presidential powers to fight the coronavirus, he sows confusion along the way
By
Toluse Olorunnipa and
Josh Dawsey
March 28, 2020 at 9:16 p.m. EDT
Eager to demonstrate that he is in control of a viral outbreak that is spreading rapidly across the country, President Trump has ramped up efforts to show he is using some of his broadest powers as commander in chief.
But the unprecedented push has been plagued by growing confusion about how far his authorities actually extend and how much he is willing to use them.
He
blindsided New Yorks governor Saturday by publicly announcing a potential quarantine order on the states residents, only to retreat from the idea hours later. This came a day after he authorized his government to use the Defense Production Act, a move on which hed been taking an on-again, off-again stance, but it remains unclear whether that power will be used.
And he is due
to issue new guidelines next week about whether the country should continue social distancing practices but hes vacillated between all but declaring victory against the
coronavirus and acceding to experts who say the national slowdown may have to continue for several more weeks.
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Toluse Olorunnipa
Toluse "Tolu" Olorunnipa is a White House reporter for The Washington Post. He joined The Post in 2019, after five years at Bloomberg News, where he reported on politics and policy from Washington and Florida. Follow
https://twitter.com/ToluseO
Josh Dawsey
Josh Dawsey is a White House reporter for The Washington Post. He joined the paper in 2017. He previously covered the White House for Politico, and New York City Hall and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie for the Wall Street Journal. Follow
https://twitter.com/jdawsey1