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Biden blasts Trump comments: ‘I am not running for office to be King of America’

by Marty Johnson - 04/14/20 12:51 PM ET

Former Vice President Joe Biden on Tuesday ripped President Trump for his assertion that he has the power to make states reopen their economies amid the continuing COVID-19 outbreak.

“I am not running for office to be King of America. I respect the Constitution. I’ve read the Constitution. I’ve sworn an oath to it many times,” the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee tweeted.

“I respect the great job so many of this country’s governors — Democratic and Republican — are doing under these horrific circumstances,” he said.

I am not running for office to be King of America. I respect the Constitution. I’ve read the Constitution. I’ve sworn an oath to it many times. I respect the great job so many of this country’s governors — Democratic and Republican — are doing under these horrific circumstances. https://t.co/vMtcfD45mG

— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) April 14, 2020

During Monday’s White House press briefing, Trump claimed that he had the power to unilaterally reopen state economies.

“The president of the United States has the authority to do what the president has the authority to do, which is very powerful,” Trump said. “The president of the United States calls the shots.”

His comments were met with widespread and immediate pushback.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) on Tuesday said that there would be a “problem” if Trump forced New York to reopen without the governor’s approval.

“The president doesn’t have total authority. The Constitution is there, the 10th Amendment is there, number of cases over the years, it’s very clear. States have power by the 10th Amendment, and the president is just wrong on that point,” Cuomo said on NBC’s “Today.“

Trump’s comments also prompted two Democratic and one Independent congressional lawmaker on Tuesday to draw up a one-sentence resolution pushing back against the president’s claims about his authority.

The resolution, introduced by Reps. Tom Malinowski (D-N.J.), Dean Phillips (D-Minn.) and Justin Amash (I-Mich.), reads, “The House of Representatives affirms that when someone is the president of the United States, their authority is not total.”