Trump: ‘I wasn't happy with Brian Kemp’
ATLANTA - For the second straight day, President Donald Trump used his afternoon briefing to express his concerns over Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp's plan to reopen certain businesses.
“I didn't like the fact that he's leaving certain things...I want the states, more than he does, much more than he does," the president said. "But I didn't like to see spas opening, frankly, I didn’t like to see a lot of things happening and I wasn't happy with it. I wasn't happy with Brian Kemp."
Monday, Kemp said that gyms, fitness centers, bowling alleys, beauty shops and salons, barbershops, body art studios, and more would be able to open Friday, April 24 as long as social distancing was being followed. The state has started issuing guidelines for those businesses.
“And I don't want this thing to flare up because you're deciding to do something that is not in the guidelines,” the president told members of the press what he shared with the governor during a call Tuesday.
Those guidelines include such benchmarks as seeing a 14-day decline in new infections as well as 14 days of declining covid-like syndromic cases and influenza-like illnesses, before moving forward on phase one of reopening.
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The president said he is leaving the decision to Kemp, but that he will be watching closely.
“So, we'll see what happens," the president said.
Gov. Kemp responded to the latest comments made by the president on Twitter. In five separate tweets, he wrote:
"For weeks now, my team has worked closely with the Trump Administration and our federal counterparts to mitigate the impact of #coronavirus in Georgia. Our decisions and direction are informed by data and public health recommendations.
"We remain focused on protecting the lives - and livelihoods - of all Georgians. To slow the spread of #COVID19 and prepare for hospital surge capacity, we asked Georgians to shelter in place and closed specific businesses throughout our state.
"Most businesses remained open with restrictions to ensure community health and well-being. We were successful in our efforts to protect Georgians and our state's healthcare infrastructure.
"Now, with favorable data and approval from state health officials, we are taking another measured step forward by opening shuttered businesses for limited operations. I know these hardworking Georgians will prioritize the safety of their employees and customers.
"Together, we will weather this storm and emerge stronger than ever."
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On Thursday evening, the governor issued a new executive order. It calls for those who are most vulnerable to continue to shelter in place and outlines plans for Georgia to reopen.
Kemp said that gyms, fitness centers, bowling alleys, beauty shops and salons, barbershops, body art studios, and more would be able to open Friday, April 24, but that it "would not be business-as-usual" and is requiring companies to implement changes to ensure sanitation mandates and social distancing.The governor also said that movie theaters and restaurants, which were previously banned from in-person dining, would be allowed to reopen on Monday, April 27 with certain restrictions.
The Associated Press is reporting President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence repeatedly told Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp on a call Tuesday that they approved of his aggressive plan to allow businesses to reopen, just a day before Trump pulled an about-face and publicly bashed the plan, according to two administration officials.
The green light from Pence and Trump came in separate private conversations with the Republican governor both before Kemp announced his plan to ease coronavirus restrictions and after it was unveiled on Monday, the officials said. Trump’s sudden shift came only after top health advisers reviewed the plan more closely and persuaded the president that Kemp was risking further spread of the virus by moving too quickly.
RELATED: CoronavirusNOW.com, FOX launches national hub for COVID-19 news and updates.
Live map: Tracking coronavirus in Georgia
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The Associated Press and FOX News contributed to this report.