The governors and public health experts say the localized lifting of restrictions could create new clusters of disease that leave officials chasing the outbreak well into the summer.

“We will combat this virus by working together and remaining consistent across our borders,” said Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont.

But such alliances could become a source of friction as the White House weighs gradually lifting lockdowns in less hard hit areas — the latest indication the administration is itching to have some regions reopen for business. The plan comes on the heels of a historic surge in jobless claims.

“You’ll take certain states that aren't badly impacted where they have almost none or they have just a little bit” of an outbreak, Trump told Fox News host Sean Hannity Thursday night. “You take a look at some of these great states like Iowa, you take a look at Idaho and you take a look at Nebraska."

Any resulting clash would likely leave some Democratic governors with a history of tangling with the president with the final say. Governors have traditionally used their powers to declare emergencies to speed public health responses, suspending laws and regulations when necessary to address flu outbreaks in New York or the opioid crisis in Pennsylvania.

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who tangled with Trump in a Twitter fight this week, said the president is looking at the stock market, not science.

“The patchwork remains a patchwork as long as the federal government doesn’t step up and recognize this is a war,” Pritzker said Friday. “The federal government needs to lead and until it does we will be a leader here in Illinois.”