Donald Trump announced he is designating all places of worship –
including churches, synagogues and mosques – “essential,” saying he
wants them to “open right now.”
The president panned state leaders for keeping “liquor stores
and abortion centres” open during the coronavirus lock down while
keeping places of worship shuttered. “It’s not right,” he said,
declaring his move is aimed at “correcting this injustice.”
“If there’s any question, they’re going to have to call me,” Mr
Trump said in the White House briefing room. “But they are not
going to be successful in that call.”
“In America, we need more prayer,” Mr Trump said before leaving
the briefing room. “Not less.”
But, a few minutes later, White House Press Secretary Kayleigh
McEnany said whether religious houses open will be up to their
leaders, as well as state and local officials. She could not cite
any federal statute that would give any president the authority to
legally override a state or local leader on such a matter. Ms
McEnany, notably, is an attorney.
The president was in the briefing only to read a short statement
announcing he has approved guidelines from the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention tailored to help state and local leaders
safely allow worship facilities to open back up.
But earlier on Friday, the president had a bit more to say on
the subject during an event marking Memorial Day.
“We want our churches and our places of faith and worship, we
want them to open,” he said. “But they’re going to be opening up
very soon. We want our churches open, we want our places of faith,
synagogues, we want them open, and that’s going to start
happening.”
“I consider them essential, and that’s one of the things we’re
saying. We’re going to make that essential,” Mr Trump said. “You
know, they have places [deemed] essential that aren’t essential.
And they open, and yet the churches aren’t allowed to open, and the
synagogues. And again, places of faith, mosques, places of
faith.”
Notably, a large chunk of Mr Trump’s political base is very
religious.
He took 75 per cent of the white evangelical vote in 2016.
Recent polling shows he remains about that popular with that voting
bloc with Election Day just six months away.
Like the rest of his base, Mr Trump needs those highly religious
conservative voters to turn out in big numbers in a handful of key
battleground states, where he mostly trails former Vice President
Joe Biden.
Deborah Birx, one of Mr Trump’s top health officials, urged
leaders of religious centres to contact their local officials about
the number of cases.
While Mr Trump said he wants them all open “this weekend,” she
said maybe some should “wait a week.”
It’s just the latest example of how the president and his top
coronavirus advisers often contradict one another, sometimes within
minutes.
Donald Trump announced he is designating all places of worship –
including churches, synagogues and mosques – “essential,” saying he
wants them to “open right now.”
The president panned state leaders for keeping “liquor stores
and abortion centres” open during the coronavirus lock down while
keeping places of worship shuttered. “It’s not right,” he said,
declaring his move is aimed at “correcting this injustice.”
“If there’s any question, they’re going to have to call me,” Mr
Trump said in the White House briefing room. “But they are not
going to be successful in that call.”
“In America, we need more prayer,” Mr Trump said before leaving
the briefing room. “Not less.”
But, a few minutes later, White House Press Secretary Kayleigh
McEnany said whether religious houses open will be up to their
leaders, as well as state and local officials. She could not cite
any federal statute that would give any president the authority to
legally override a state or local leader on such a matter. Ms
McEnany, notably, is an attorney.
The president was in the briefing only to read a short statement
announcing he has approved guidelines from the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention tailored to help state and local leaders
safely allow worship facilities to open back up.
But earlier on Friday, the president had a bit more to say on
the subject during an event marking Memorial Day.
“We want our churches and our places of faith and worship, we
want them to open,” he said. “But they’re going to be opening up
very soon. We want our churches open, we want our places of faith,
synagogues, we want them open, and that’s going to start
happening.”
“I consider them essential, and that’s one of the things we’re
saying. We’re going to make that essential,” Mr Trump said. “You
know, they have places [deemed] essential that aren’t essential.
And they open, and yet the churches aren’t allowed to open, and the
synagogues. And again, places of faith, mosques, places of
faith.”
Notably, a large chunk of Mr Trump’s political base is very
religious.
He took 75 per cent of the white evangelical vote in 2016.
Recent polling shows he remains about that popular with that voting
bloc with Election Day just six months away.
Like the rest of his base, Mr Trump needs those highly religious
conservative voters to turn out in big numbers in a handful of key
battleground states, where he mostly trails former Vice President
Joe Biden.
Deborah Birx, one of Mr Trump’s top health officials, urged
leaders of religious centres to contact their local officials about
the number of cases.
While Mr Trump said he wants them all open “this weekend,” she
said maybe some should “wait a week.”
It’s just the latest example of how the president and his top
coronavirus advisers often contradict one another, sometimes within
minutes.