Governor Cuomo says if Trump ordered New York to reopen, 'I wouldn't do it'

FILE PHOTO: New York governor Andrew Cuomo speaks as the USNS Comfort pulls into a berth in Manhattan during the outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in the Manhattan borough of New York City

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Tuesday he would not abide by any order that President Donald Trump gave to reopen his state in an unsafe manner during the coronavirus outbreak.

"If he ordered me to reopen in a way that would endanger the public health of the people of my state, I wouldn't do it," Cuomo said in an interview with CNN.

Trump said on Monday he believed the president has "total authority" over states in the U.S. coronavirus response, a stance that is not supported by the Constitution and was immediately rejected by legal experts and some governors.

(Reporting by Doina Chiacu; Editing by Andrew Heavens)