PRESIDENT TRUMP (at left) meets with coronavirus task force. Dr. Anthony Fauci is in center (Shutterstock).

The United States is not ready to reopen the national economy yet, said Dr. Anthony Fauci on Tuesday in an interview with the Associated Press.

Dr. Fauci is the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. He said ‘We have to have something in place that is efficient and that we can rely on and we’re not there yet.” He wants more testing of people and better tracking of the coronavirus’ spread.

President Donald Trump has suggested that some areas of the nation could be “opened” economically by May 1.  Dr. Fauci termed that “a bit overly optimistic” and added that some measures such as social distancing” would have to be backed off on a “rolling” basis, since the coronavirus was affecting some areas of the nation more than others.

On the issue of whether the “reopening” of state economies was within the powers of the president or state governors, Trump said it was his.

“When somebody is president of the United States, the authority is total,” he said. “The governors know that.”’

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said “It’s not the law. It’s not the Constitution. We don’t have a king. We have a president.”

Obama endorses Biden for White House

Former President Barack Obama on Tuesday endorsed his former vice president Joe Biden for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Obama had waited until after Biden’s last major rival – Bernie Sanders – had dropped out of the race and endorsed the former VP – to make his own choice known.

“I believe Joe has all the qualities we need in a president right now,” said Obama in a video.

Yet to endorse Biden are Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren and former President Bill Clinton and 2016 Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.