Current Events > Trump calls on governors to reopen churches, declares them essential services

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https://abc7ny.com/politics/trump-demands-house-of-worship-be-allowed-to-reopen/6204510/

President Donald Trump said Friday that he has deemed churches and other houses of worship "essential" and called on governors across the country to allow them to reopen this weekend despite the threat of spreading the coronavirus. "Today I'm identifying houses of worship - churches, synagogues and mosques - as essential places that provide essential services," Trump said during a hastily arranged press conference at the White House, where he didn't take questions. He said if governors don't abide by his request, he will "override" them, though it's unclear what authority he has to do so.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had prepared a draft of reopening guidelines for churches and other houses of worship weeks ago that included measures like maintaining distance between parishioners and limiting the size of gatherings. But that guidance had been delayed for more than a month by the administration until Trump abruptly changed course Thursday. "I said, 'You better put it out.' And they're doing it," Trump said Thursday at a Ford Motor Co. plant repurposed to make ventilators in Michigan. "And they're going to be issuing something today or tomorrow on churches. We've got to get our churches open." Trump on Friday stressed the importance of churches in many communities and took issue with some of the businesses that had been allowed to reopen. "Some governors have deemed liquor stores and abortion clinics as essential" but not churches, he said. "It's not right. So I'm correcting this injustice and calling houses of worship essential."



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didn't he already pretend he could override governors on their lockdown orders, only to get slapped down like a little bitch?

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Trump wants to kill his own supporters

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There is no way in hell I'm going to a gym, a bar, a church*, or a restaurant until this crap dies down.

*Wouldn't go to a church any way, but I didn't have a problem with other people going to church until all this started.

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Church can be done like online or through TV or whatever, so making churches essential wouldn't even matter.

McDonalds is essential too, it doesn't mean they let you congregate in groups of 400 people into their restaurant.

Churches aren't essential
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"In order for me to present, you must all be crammed into the same physical location in my name" - Jesus
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Surprised he included mosques

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Why is he so bad...like WHY

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Guys let me clue you in here: Trump is catering to his base right now so they will vote for him in November. Nothing more needs to be said.

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SSJKirby posted...

Surprised he included mosques

I wouldn't be surprised if he originally didn;t want to. and someone in his close circle had to convince him it would look bad

Caution999 posted...

Guys let me clue you in here: Trump is catering to his base right now so they will vote for him in November. Nothing more needs to be said.

By "catering" you mean "openly advocating for them to be able to get sick and die", correct?
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Bio1590 posted...

By "catering" you mean "openly advocating for them to be able to get sick and die", correct?

jesus will protect them!

Smashingpmkns posted...

Churches aren't essential

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Open the churches. Let them die.

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I agree that liquor stores aren't essential, but that doesn't make it an "injustice" that churches are closed, jfc

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eston posted...

I agree that liquor stores aren't essential, but that doesn't make it an "injustice" that churches are closed, jfc

Maybe it isn't the best idea during a global pandemic that requires hospitals to be as empty as possible to tell alcoholics that they have to stop cold turkey.

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Bio1590 posted...

By "catering" you mean "openly advocating for them to be able to get sick and die", correct?

All he is doing is capitalizing on people's frustrations as they're unable to return to their normal lives. It's a connection he's throwing out to people. These decisions aren't on his shoulders; they're on the governors. So, he's just talking. That's it. Nobody is openly advocating for people to die as not everything is a an utter certainty. Have you seen how big a lot of churches are?

They can easily re-open and limit the number of people coming in, wear masks, and keep the people separated in those gigantic churches.

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Unknown5uspect posted...

Open the churches. Let them die.

they will get sick then infect people who avoided the churches. then everyone is screwed

Zikten posted...

they will get sick then infect people who avoided the churches. then everyone is screwed

Then we all die. Fuck it. No one actually cares.

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Caution999 posted...

Guys let me clue you in here: Trump is catering to his base right now so they will vote for him in November. Nothing more needs to be said.

"he's doing stupid shit to cater to his base, don't say anything"

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eston posted...

I agree that liquor stores aren't essential, but that doesn't make it an "injustice" that churches are closed, jfc

Liquor stores are only nonessential if you don't understand that instantaneously cutting off alcoholics can kill them.
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Caution999 posted...

All he is doing is capitalizing on people's frustrations as they're unable to return to their normal lives. It's a connection he's throwing out to people. These decisions aren't on his shoulders; they're on the governors. So, he's just talking. That's it. Nobody is openly advocating for people to die as not everything is a an utter certainty. Have you seen how big a lot of churches are?

They can easily re-open and limit the number of people coming in, wear masks, and keep the people separated in those gigantic churches.

If you're advocating for people to be able to congregate in large groups in enclosed areas for multiple hours knowing that that's a prime opportunity for the virus to spread then you are advocating for people to be able to get sick and die.

That's literally it.

Caution stop defending everything this fucking trashbag does.
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I know some churches (including my stepdad's) did was make it so that services were done outside with people in their cars. Though that's probably not possible with churches that don't happen to have a lot of space for parking. I should add that the people doing the services usually have masks and gloves, etc.

It also probably helps that stepdad's church is like incredibly small as well--like before covid hit only 15 people came to evening services on average.

I don't really expect Trump to realize this sort of thing though.

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Wait Im not super knowledgeable on the subject so Im probably wrong but isnt this technically a separation of church and state issue?

edit: nope, I was wrong. So very wrong.

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I guess I'd agree with this take

https://twitter.com/jbarro/status/1263897798099042305?s=19

Trump is being stupid about being able to override them or whatever though...as usual
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eston posted...

I agree that liquor stores aren't essential, but that doesn't make it an "injustice" that churches are closed, jfc

Closing liquor stores would have been a bigger disaster than the virus itself. Every alcoholic in the country being forced to detox at the same time? Hospitals could never handle it

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I'm pretty sure alcoholics can still go to a grocery store

But that's not really the point I was making. I don't actually care if liquor stores are considered essential or not. I take issue with his use of the word "injustice," that's it

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emblem boy posted...

I guess I'd agree with this take

https://twitter.com/jbarro/status/1263897798099042305?s=19

Trump is being stupid about being able to override them or whatever though...as usual

ya but thats why its still being questioned. Because it hasnt actually violated it.

im pretty sure the argument that churchs can be held online is gonna be the deciding factor that they have not been disfavored.

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eston posted...

I'm pretty sure alcoholics can still go to a grocery store

Not if you live in a place where alcohol is only sold at restaurants and bars (with the requirement you also purchase food) and government owned and operated liquor stores.
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Liquor stores aren't packed with 300+ people holding hands and splashing the same water on their face, or drinking from the same shitty wine.
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Smashingpmkns posted...

Liquor stores aren't packed with 300+ people holding hands and splashing the same water on their face, or drinking from the same shitty wine.

Says you

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Smashingpmkns posted...

Liquor stores aren't packed with 300+ people holding hands and splashing the same water on their face, or drinking from the same shitty wine.

It's almost like they can get rid of the wine, holding hands, etc etc for the time being and safely have some people attend SOME of the larger churches wearing masks, being separated and having a limited number of people inside.

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Bio1590 posted...

Not if you live in a place where alcohol is only sold at restaurants and bars (with the requirement you also purchase food) and government owned and operated liquor stores.

But if they have to buy their alcohol at a restaurant, they'll die!

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ThunderTrain posted...

Trump wants to kill his own supporters

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It's like he *wants* to burn in hell when he dies.
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Caution999 posted...

It's almost like they can get rid of the wine, holding hands, etc etc for the time being and safely have some people attend SOME of the larger churches wearing masks, being separated and having a limited number of people inside.

Can they? Sure.

Will they? Doubt it!

Caution999 posted...

It's almost like they can get rid of the wine, holding hands, etc etc for the time being and safely have some people attend SOME of the larger churches wearing masks, being separated and having a limited number of people inside.

But they dont, is the thing

those are the things that are the reason people attend churches, and they wont want to get rid of them

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TheGoldenEel posted...

But they dont, is the thing

those are the things that are the reason people attend churches, and they wont want to get rid of them

They haven't had the opportunity. If they don't, the people inside can report them to the authorities.

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Caution999 posted...

Smashingpmkns posted...

Liquor stores aren't packed with 300+ people holding hands and splashing the same water on their face, or drinking from the same shitty wine.

It's almost like they can get rid of the wine, holding hands, etc etc for the time being and safely have some people attend SOME of the larger churches wearing masks, being separated and having a limited number of people inside.

Except they won't as they've already shown in the last few months of these churches breaking quarantine.
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Smashingpmkns posted...

Except they won't as they've already shown in the last few months of these churches breaking quarantine.

Oh you mean the ones the mainstream media reported on? You do realize they're not going to report on the ones who are taking the strict guidelines seriously, right?

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Caution999 posted...

Guys let me clue you in here: Trump is catering to his base right now so they will vote for him in November. Nothing more needs to be said.

As his base, why the fuck are you OK with that? Are you cool with him being OK with people dying so he gets reelected?

@Caution999

Caution999 posted...

They haven't had the opportunity. If they don't, the people inside can report them to the authorities.

Dude there was a story like 2 days ago of a church in Texas that reopened and had to close again because their pastor died and a bunch of people got sick

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eston posted...

I'm pretty sure alcoholics can still go to a grocery store

But that's not really the point I was making. I don't actually care if liquor stores are considered essential or not. I take issue with his use of the word "injustice," that's it

My state (MN) doesn't sell liquor in grocery stores. Liquor can only be bought at liquor stores.

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He has to pander to his base.

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Caution999 posted...

having a limited number of people inside

You do realize that normal social distancing guidelines aren't meant for long-term contact, correct? The longer you stay in a place the more space you need between people. At some point it's legitimately just not worth it and outright dangerous to people's lives to do it.
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Essential for what?

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The23rdMagus posted...

Essential for what?

Enabling the spread of the virus so it kills more people
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Gotta get his Chris Chan vote

Bio1590 posted...

Liquor stores are only nonessential if you don't understand that instantaneously cutting off alcoholics can kill them.

Yeah I didn't actually know this until the pandemic started.

Unfortunate, but it is what it is.

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