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WASHINGTON — President Trump on Monday said the decision to reopen the country’s ailing economy ultimately rests with him, not state leaders, as he feuds with governors over when to allow Americans to return to work.

In a pair of tweets, Trump claimed he had the ultimate authority to loosen coronavirus outbreak measures as governors pushed ahead with their own plans for reopening their states, in some cases a coalition of governors looking at regions.

“For the purpose of creating conflict and confusion, some in the Fake News Media are saying that it is the Governors decision to open up the states, not that of the President of the United States & the Federal Government. Let it be fully understood that this is incorrect,” Trump wrote on Monday morning.

“It is the decision of the President, and for many good reasons. With that being said, the Administration and I are working closely with the Governors, and this will continue. A decision by me, in conjunction with the Governors and input from others, will be made shortly!” he added.

The comments are at odds with previous remarks Trump made as recently as Friday where he said he didn’t want to overrule governors on matter regarding closures and coronavirus strictures, even though he would be within his right to under the constitution — a claim rebuffed by legal experts.

“I like to allow governors to make decisions without overruling them, because from a constitutional standpoint, that’s the way it should be done,” he said during the White House coronavirus task force briefing.

“If I disagreed, I would overrule a governor, and I have that right to do it,” he continued, before adding, “I would rather have them make their decisions.”

Trump is now looking at reopening the economy by May 1, putting him on a collision course with state leaders who are pushing back, saying it would be dangerous to “take our foot off of the accelerator” in the war against the virus.

Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont has extended stay-at-home orders until May 20 while Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has also extended restrictive social distancing guidelines until April 30.

Last week, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said he was working on a tri-state initiative with Lamont and New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy to plan for an eventual return to normalcy once the COVID-19 outbreak has eased.

On Monday Cuomo teamed up with the leaders of five other Northeastern states to form a regional task force aimed at a gradual but thoughtful reopening of the economy beyond the coronavirus.

“Everyone is very anxious to get out of the house, get back to work, get the economy moving,” said Cuomo in remarks to the press before a public conference call with the governors of New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Rhode Island.

Also on Monday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced he was working with state leaders in Washington and Oregon on a similar framework for reopening as a region.

“The West Coast is guided by science. We issued stay at home orders early to keep the public healthy. We’ll open our economies with that same guiding principle,” Newsom tweeted, saying the states had a “shared vision.”

Rebuffing the president’s claims Monday, constitutional experts say it is state leaders who have the power to police their citizens under the 10th Amendment.

“This is Federalism 101,” Robert Chesney, a professor of national security law at the University of Texas, told Reuters.

“The president can advocate to his heart’s content, but he can’t actually commandeer the state governments to make them change their policies,” Chesney continued.

“He has no such inherent authority, nor is there any federal statute that purports to give him such authority,” he added.