Governors Push Back Against Trump’s Claim that States Have Enough Tests to Begin Reopening

Several governors have voiced concerns over President Donald Trump’s claim that states currently have enough coronavirus testing kits to slowly begin to reopen.

“It’s not accurate to say there’s plenty of testing out there and the governors should just get it done,” Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan told CNN’s Jake Tapper on Sunday. “That’s just not being straightforward.”

At a press briefing on Saturday, Trump criticized governors for not doing enough, adding that they bear responsibility for beginning phase one of his plan to reopen the economy once there have been two consecutive weeks of declining cases.

President Trump’s claim that states have enough tests to reopen “is just absolutely false,” says Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan. “It’s not accurate to say there’s plenty of testing out there and the governors should just get it done. That’s just not being straightforward” #CNNSOTU pic.twitter.com/rBkvE4xXkZ

— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) April 19, 2020

“They don’t want to use all of the capacity that we’ve created. We have tremendous capacity,” Trump said. “They know that. The governors know that. The Democrat governors know that. They’re the ones that are complaining.”

But Trump’s expectations, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam said Sunday, are “delusional.”

“To have no guidance to the state levels is just irresponsible because we’re not there yet,” Northam said on CNN.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer: “You know my stay-home order is one of the nation’s more conservative, but the fact of the matter is, it’s working. We are seeing the curve start to flatten. And that means we’re saving lives” #CNNSOTU pic.twitter.com/WK2NtJasIg

— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) April 19, 2020

Meanwhile, Hogan, Northam and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer all stressed that it was unhelpful for Trump to encourage demonstrations against stay-at-home orders by people who do not practice social distancing.

“This is not the time for protests, this is not the time for divisiveness,” Northam said on CNN’s State of the Union. “This is time for leadership that will stand up and provide empathy.”