President Donald Trump said Wednesday he told Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp he "totally" disagreed with his decision to roll back coronavirus restrictions and allow shuttered businesses such as nail salons and barber shops to reopen this week.
Saying it was "just too soon" to allow close-contact businesses to resume operations Friday, Trump delivered a stinging rebuke to the Georgia Republican he endorsed in 2018. "They can wait a little bit longer. Safety has to predominate," the president said, adding that he still respects Kemp and will "let him make his decision."
"Would I do that? No," he said. "I want to protect people's lives. But I'm going to let him to make his decision. But I told him I totally disagree."
Kemp's office didn't immediately comment on the remarks by the president, his close ally. The two spoke late Tuesday in what aides to Kemp described as a productive conversation.
The governor has characterized his decision to let close-contact businesses reopen as soon as Friday as a "measured approach" even as some public health experts warn that it could trigger a new outbreak of the disease and local leaders push back.
"There is a danger of a rebound," said Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. "Going ahead and leapfrogging into phases where you should not be, I would advise him, as a health official and a physician, not to do that."
Georgia Democrats, who strongly opposed Kemp's pandemic strategy, quickly highlighted the rift between the president and the governor.
"You know it's a serious failure when Donald Trump, whose failed leadership is responsible for how badly this crisis is hitting America, distances himself from his crony Brian Kemp, who is endlessly determined to make this crisis as painful as possible for Georgians," said Nikema Williams, chairwoman of the state Democratic Party.
Kemp defended his strategy on a conference call with Wednesday with U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler, one of his top allies, saying that Georgia's efforts to contain the coronavirus were paying off.
"I know this is a different world. But we have to continue living in it for a few more weeks, or possibly just a few more months," he said. "There are a lot of people financially hurting, and we've got to do our best to help them out."
The governor also planned to release guidelines this week to let restaurants resume dine-in service and reopen theaters on Monday. Many metro Atlanta businesses have said they will remain shuttered, though plans are underway in other parts of the state for a wave of openings.
Kemp has come under increasing pressure from local leaders, particularly in dense urban areas, upset that his statewide order barred them from enacting more severe restrictions.
He's also faced criticism from members of the state coronavirus task force Kemp set up to help guide his response strategy who are upset they were left in the dark by his decision to roll back restrictions. On the call Wednesday, Kemp said efforts to increase testing would pay dividends and highlighted a partnership with Augusta University to coordinate screening efforts.
A day earlier, Trump expressed confidence in Kemp's response even as federal health officials took a different tack.
Dr. Deborah Birx, the federal coronavirus response coordinator, seemed to endorse calls by local Georgia officials who have urged residents to stay home despite Kemp's directive. "I believe people in Atlanta would understand if their cases are not going down, they need to continue to do everything we said: social distancing, washing your hands, wearing a mask in public," said Birx.
