Donald Trump has declared churches, mosques, and synagogues “essential services,” and called for places of worship to open as states have started easing COVID-19 restrictions.

The president also threatened to override governors who refused to reopen them over the weekend.

“Some governors have deemed liquor stores and abortion clinics as essential but have left out churches and other houses of worship,” the president told reporters at the White House on Friday. “It’s not right. So I’m correcting this injustice and calling houses of worship essential.”

Trump added: “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.”

Following his two-minute statement to the press, the president walked out of the briefing room podium without taking questions.

While Trump considers church essential and threatens to override state governors who keep churches closed, many were confused by the remarks given the president does not have the constitutional right to unilaterally order individual states to reopen businesses, churches or schools.

Many believe that Trump made the remarks to appeal to his support base: Trump won four in five Christian evangelical voters in the 2016 presidential election.

The Centers for Disease Control recently published a 60-page plan for restaurants, schools, childcare programs, mass transport, and other reopening businesses. However, it omitted details about houses of worship and faith-based organizations.