Photo: Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images
Based on what President Trump has said publicly, he is expected to make clear to governors when they talk during an afternoon video teleconference Thursday that he won’t hold them back if they want to reopen their states for business.
Why it matters: Trump has signaled that he will provide guidelines, but that he is anxious to get the country reopened and is unwilling to wait until May 1.
⚡ Protests by people who want to get back to work have broken out in Michigan, Kentucky, Ohio, North Carolina and Virginia, per USA Today.
- "Demonstrators drove thousands of vehicles — many draped with protest signs — to Michigan's state Capitol, ... loudly protesting Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's stay-at-home order," the Detroit Free Press reports from Lansing.
The state of play: If Trump starts urging parts of the country to get back to work, his supporters in those states will want to follow his lead.
What's next: Multiply what's happening now by several times, and we could see major clashes across the country between cautious governors and angry, impatient constituents.
- This will likely be exacerbated as red states, including Texas, start coming back online.