Trump declares a national emergency. The national emergency laws state explicitly that, in doing so, the Federal government takes responsibility for managing the emergency. Trump then declares that he has “total” authority but “zero” responsibility.
Trump says the federal government is “not a shipping clerk” and that the states are responsible for their own procurement, but then he sets themselves up in competitive bidding wars against each other, and when they do negotiate deals, seizes materials procured (as he directed) from blue states who are in dire need, and redistributes them to red states, often in situations that exceed their requests or in which they had not even made requests.
Trump 2016: “I alone can fix it.”
Trump 2020: “The president has total authority.”
Trump 2020: “I take no responsibility.”
Trump declares a national emergency. The national emergency laws state explicitly that, in doing so, the Federal government takes responsibility for managing the emergency. Trump then declares that he has “total” authority but “zero” responsibility.
Trump says the federal government is “not a shipping clerk” and that the states are responsible for their own procurement, but then he sets themselves up in competitive bidding wars against each other, and when they do negotiate deals, seizes materials procured (as he directed) from blue states who are in dire need, and redistributes them to red states, often in situations that exceed their requests or in which they had not even made requests.