A day after President Donald Trump said he has the “ultimate” and ”total” authority to lift restrictions states have put in place to combat the coronavirus pandemic, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo shot back saying that’s not true because America has a president and not a king.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, meanwhile, had a more measured response — even though he joined forces with Cuomo and six other (mostly Democratic) governors Monday to announce they were forming a regional plan to scale back restrictions and recharge the economy, but only when data shows it’s safe to do so.

Murphy said Tuesday the Garden State must work with both neighboring states and the federal government.

“This is an ‘and both’ (situation),” Murphy said during his daily coronavirus press briefing in Trenton.

“We need the administration, we need the federal government and the full force of it," he added. “And I can say with the same passion: We need a similar reality with our regional partners. Both of those statements can stand. They’re not at odds with each other. Nor are the actions that underpin them.”

Hours after Cuomo and Murphy announced the regional plan, Trump said Monday the ultimate decision to reopen the country’s economy lies with him, not individual governors.

“When somebody’s president of the United States, the authority is total," the Republican president said during a White House press briefing. “And that’s the way it’s got to be. It’s total. It’s total. And the governors know that.”

Trump added that governors “will agree to it.”

Many constitutional scholars and governors challenged Trump’s comments, saying the U.S. Constitution lays out a series of checks and balances.

On Tuesday morning, Cuomo told NBC: “I don’t know what the president is talking about, frankly. We have a constitution. ... We don’t have a king. We have a president."

Meanwhile, Trump on Tuesday doubled down on the rhetoric in a tweet that chastised “Democrat governors" and referenced the film “Mutiny on the Bounty.” He wrote that a “good old fashioned mutiny every now and then is an exciting and invigorating thing to watch, especially when the mutineers need so much from the Captain.”

Tell the Democrat Governors that “Mutiny On The Bounty” was one of my all time favorite movies. A good old fashioned mutiny every now and then is an exciting and invigorating thing to watch, especially when the mutineers need so much from the Captain. Too easy! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 14, 2020

Murphy, who has frequently criticized Trump in the past, has played mostly nice with the president during the outbreak as he seeks help from the federal government.

During his press briefing Tuesday, Murphy was asked if he viewed Trump’s comments in the last 24 hours as a threat to governors.

Murphy stressed that New Jersey is the most densely populated state in the county and the Northeast is “the densest region” in America, and "we’ve got to make sure we are at least harmonized” with neighboring states.

“That is not in lieu of, that is not instead, and never will be instead of a deep cooperation we need with the federal government,” he added.

Murphy said he imparted this message to Vice President Mike Pence in a conversation Tuesday.

“I think we were in agreement: You need both," Murphy said. “There’s no substituting federal government of the United States of America, in any challenging period, let alone a once-a century, if not longer, healthcare crisis. There’s no substituting for that big gorilla in the room.”

Murphy also stressed Tuesday that New Jersey needs more help from Trump’s administration to fight the outbreak — especially when it comes to ramping up funding.

“We can’t begin to think about reopening unless the resources we get — in particular, the cooperation and resources we get from the federal government — are a lot more robust than they have been,” the governor said. “We will continue to play our hand to its maximum potential. But, boy, do we need help.”

New Jersey, a state of 9 million residents, now has at least 68,584 cases and 2,805 deaths of COVID-19, state officials announced Tuesday. Only New York has more cases and deaths among U.S. states.

Like most other governors in the region, Murphy has put New Jersey in near-lockdown to help halt the virus’ spread and preserve hospital capacity. That includes ordering residents to stay home, banning social gatherings, closing schools, and mandating nonessential businesses stay closed until further notice.

Murphy has said this week the curve of cases in New Jersey is “undeniably now flattening" after weeks of restrictions. But he stressed that cases and deaths are still rising and residents need to continue practicing social distancing. And he said lifting restrictions too early could cause the virus to “boomerang.”

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Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @johnsb01.

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