Trump claims ‘total authority’, attacks media in coronavirus briefing

Contradicting governors and legal experts, US President has claimed "total" power to lift the nationwide coronavirus lockdown, according to international news media.

Trump declared his "authority is total" when it comes to lockdown rules and denied that he was weighing firing Dr Anthony Fauci, the country's foremost infectious diseases expert who sits on the coronavirus task force.

He bickered with journalists who questioned a tweet he had sent earlier in the day, where he claimed to have fiat power to override orders by state governors to close nonessential businesses and public spaces and encourage residents to shelter at home, reports The Guardian.

"When somebody is the president of the United States, the authority is total," Trump said, referring to matters of public health and police powers inside the states.

The briefing briefly featured Fauci, who was attacked in a message retweeted by Trump on Sunday, fueling speculation that the president was preparing to push out the epidemiologist.

"I was immediately called upon that. And I said, 'No, I like him. I think he's terrific," Trump was quoted as saying according to The Guardian.