Trump will reportedly declare a national emergency over coronavirus after weeks of downplaying the threat of the pandemic

• President Donald Trump will declare a national emergency over the novel coronavirus on Friday, Bloomberg News reported.
• The move would trigger the Stafford Act and allow for more federal aid to states and municipalities.
• The World Health Organization classified coronavirus as a pandemic on Wednesday. To date, more than 136,000 people around the world have been infected and there have been more than 5,000 deaths.
• According to The New York Times, as of Friday morning, at least 1,663 people in 46 states and Washington, DC, have tested positive for coronavirus, and at least 41 patients have died.
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President Donald Trump will declare a national emergency over the novel coronavirus on Friday afternoon, Bloomberg News reported.

The World Health Organization classified the illness as a pandemic on Wednesday. To date, more than 136,000 people around the world have been infected and there have been more than 5,000 deaths.

According to The New York Times, as of Friday morning, at least 1,663 people in 46 states and Washington, DC, have tested positive for coronavirus, and at least 41 patients have died.

Elizabeth Goitein, the director of the Brennan Center for Justice's Liberty & National Security program, told Voice of America that declaring a national emergency allows Trump to tap into a vast reservoir of additional powers by triggering authorities contained in more than 100 laws.

"When a president declares an emergency declaration, he at that moment has access to all of the laws that say in a national emergency the president can do X, whether or not those powers relate to the emergency at hand," Goitein told the outlet.

Some authorities allow for a "reasonable and very measured" response to an emergency, Goiten added. At the same time, a national emergency declaration also significantly expands the president's ability to take extreme action in the name of national security.

Trump's decision came after at least 19 states declared states of emergency to fight the coronavirus.

The president has so far downplayed the risk of the pandemic and repeatedly claimed the public does not need to be concerned. His statements are especially stark because most of them have come on the heels of public health officials warning of a severe disruption to everyday life as more positive cases emerge.

Politico reported on Wednesday that Trump was initially hesitant to declare a national emergency, citing three people familiar with the matter. Instead, Trump was leaning toward a more limited response that would be in line with his preference to downplay the crisis and stabilize financial markets, which his advisers have said is their biggest priority as they craft a response.