Trump declares places of worship 'essential' and demands governors let them reopen

President Trump is calling for religious institutions to reopen, ignoring the devastating things that have happened to those that remained open throughout the COVID-19 crisis.

Trump announced Friday that he would identify houses of worship, including "churches, synagogues, and mosques," as "essential places that provide essential services." He called on governors to allow those institutions to reopen, and vowed to "override the governors" if they do not because "in America we need more prayer, not less."

Just like reopening businesses, Trump does not have the power to override governors when it comes to letting places of worship start holding services again. Some churches had resisted closing down amid the pandemic, and subsequently saw deadly coronavirus outbreaks spread among their members.

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