** President Trump Holds a Press Briefing - 22/May/2020
“Thank you very much. At my direction the Center for Disease Control and Prevention is issuing guidance for communities of faith. I want to thank Dr. Redfield and the CDC for their work on this matter and all the other work they have been doing over the passt what seems like a long period of time.
Today I am identifying Houses of Worship, churches, synagogues and mosques as essential places that provide essential services. Some governors have deemed that liquor stores and abortion clinics as essential but have left out churches and other houses of worship. It’s not right, so I am correcting this injustice and calling, Houses of Worship essential.
I call upon governors to allow our churches and places of worship to open right now. If there is any question they are going to have to call me but they are not going to be successful in that call. These are places that hold our society together and keep our people united. The people are demanding to go to church and synagogue and to their mosques.
Many millions of Americans embrace worship as an essential part of life. The ministers, pastors, rabbis, imams and other faith leaders will make sure their congregations are safe as they gather and pray. I know them well. They love their congregations, they love their people and they don’t want anything to happen to them or to anybody else.
The governors need to do the right thing and allow these very important essential places of faith to open right now for this weekend. If they don’t do it I will override the governors. In America we need more prayer not less. Thank you very much”.