Trump continues Twitter rampage accusing Democratic governors of moving 'slowly' to open states to tilt election

President says states most move more quickly – but one chief executive hits back saying there is no 'magic wand'

Donald Trump is accusing Democratic governors of slow-rolling opening their states amid the coronavirus outbreak, charging them with trying to tilt the planned November election in their favour.

County leaders in four counties in Pennsylvania last month took legal action trying to overturn Democratic Governor Tom Wolf's emergency stay at home order. Even after failing, some counties under Republican control there are again angling to move faster with the reopening process than is the Wolf administration.

The Keystone State always has the president's attention. He won it in 2016 over former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and again needs its coveted 20 Electoral College votes in November if he hopes to secure a second term. He lashed out at Mr Wolf in a Monday morning tweet as he continued a a social media blitz that included over 100 tweets and retweets on Mother's Day.

"The great people of Pennsylvania want their freedom now, and they are fully aware of what that entails," Mr Trump wrote.

The president is slated to visit the battleground state later this week, but the White House has yet to announce details of the planned trip.

Former Vice President Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, leads Mr Trump in Pennsylvania 48.3 per cent to 41.2 per cent, according to an average of several prominent polls tabulated by RealClearPolitics.

Nationally, the former VP has a 4.4-point lead and would win the presidency under the Electoral College system easily, 183 to 125 over Mr Trump. (It takes 170 Electoral College votes to win.)

But Mr Wolf was not the only Democratic state leader to catch the president's wrath.

He accused other Democrats of "moving slowly, all over the USA, for political purposes."

He was referring to Republican governors moving faster than Democratic ones to start the process of reopening their states, some going as far as opening gyms and restaurants even as Covid-19 cases are either still rising or have yet to meet the White House's own recommendation to have posted two weeks of declining cases before hitting start on the opening process.

"They would wait until November 3rd if it were up to them," Mr Trump tweeting, adding this advice for Democrats: "Don't play politics. Be safe, move quickly!"

Over 45 states have started the reopening process, including ones with Democratic governors -- though the furthest along states have GOP chiefs executive.

Mr Wolf responded during a press conference, saying "I don't know how you stay safe and move quickly." He said there is no "magic wand" that any official can wave to overcome the realities of the virus.