Trump Corrects NY Gov. Cuomo On Coronavirus Response: “All States Aren’t The Same”

President Trump chastised New York Governor Andrew Cuomo over his complaints about how the federal government is handling the coronavirus pandemic, particularly how it’s treating the individual states.

The public feud between the president and the governor was sparked Sunday when Cuomo penned an op-ed for The New York Times directed at Trump in which he began by lamenting the federal government’s response (formatting adjusted):

Dear Mr. President,

The coronavirus pandemic is now upon us, and data from other countries shows us clearly where we are headed. Every country affected by this crisis has handled it on a national basis. The United States has not. State and local governments alone simply do not have the capacity or resources to do what is necessary, and we don’t want a patchwork quilt of policies.

There is now only one question your team must answer for you: Can we slow the spread of the disease to a rate that our state health care systems can handle? The answer increasingly looks like no. But that does not mean we should not try. There are fewer options available at this late date, but the federal government should move to implement them swiftly.

On Monday, President Trump held a conference call with governors to address the crisis and reportedly told them that they must “take the initiative to obtain ventilators, respirators and other equipment as the country deals with supply shortages and the number of cases increase,” The Hill notes.

Cuomo, said Trump, needs to “do more” in his response to coronavirus, a comment the president highlighted in a tweet following the Monday conference call (posts below).

Cuomo bristled at Trump’s directive. “I have to do more?” the Democratic governor declared Monday in a since deleted tweet by Trump highlighting his “do more” comment. “YOU have to do something! You’re supposed to be the President.”

Trump fired back on Tuesday, specifically hitting Cuomo on his contention that the federal government should treat each state the same.

“Cuomo wants ‘all states to be treated the same,'” Trump tweeted. “But all states aren’t the same. Some are being hit hard by the Chinese Virus, some are being hit practically not at all. New York is a very big ‘hotspot’, West Virginia has, thus far, zero cases. Andrew, keep politics out of it….”

Donald J. Trump

✔@realDonaldTrump

Just had a very good tele-conference with Nation’s Governors. Went very well. Cuomo of New York has to “do more”.

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12:02 AM - Mar 17, 2020

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Andrew Cuomo

✔@NYGovCuomo

I have to do more?

No — YOU have to do something! You’re supposed to be the President. https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1239607610669699073 …

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11:23 PM - Mar 16, 2020

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Donald J. Trump

✔@realDonaldTrump

Cuomo wants “all states to be treated the same.” But all states aren’t the same. Some are being hit hard by the Chinese Virus, some are being hit practically not at all. New York is a very big “hotspot”, West Virginia has, thus far, zero cases. Andrew, keep politics out of it....

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5:52 PM - Mar 17, 2020

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In his op-ed Sunday, Cuomo laid out three “clear imperatives” the government must address: testing, closings, and risks to hospitals. Regarding COVID-19 testing, Cuomo called for federal deregulation and widespread authorization to states. On the issue of closing, Cuomo pushed for “uniform federal standard” for all cities and states on closings. On the issue of hospitals, Cuomo called for the Army Corps of Engineers “to leverage its expertise, equipment and people power to retrofit and equip existing facilities — like military bases or college dormitories — to serve as temporary medical centers.” A few excerpts:

Testing

Slowing the spread of coronavirus is a function of testing and reducing the density of public gatherings. So first, Mr. President, you must stop the Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from overregulating the testing process, and authorize states to certify a wider array of testing labs and methods. […]

Closings

Second, the closing of schools and businesses has federal implications, even if these are state or local decisions. When one state unilaterally closes businesses, people typically cross state lines to look for open businesses elsewhere. If the purpose is to keep our citizens home and out of crowded spaces, such inconsistency in state policies is counterproductive. There should be a uniform federal standard for when cities and states should shut down commerce and schools, or cancel events. […]

Risks to hospitals

[…] States cannot build more hospitals, acquire ventilators or modify facilities quickly enough. At this point, our best hope is to utilize the Army Corps of Engineers to leverage its expertise, equipment and people power to retrofit and equip existing facilities — like military bases or college dormitories — to serve as temporary medical centers. Then we can designate existing hospital beds for the acutely ill.