I did read what you wrote but you didn't read what I wrote.  Here, I'll give you exact quotes from the White House itself:

Press Briefing Room

April 13, 2020
5:49 P.M. EDT

Go ahead. One more question. Steve, go ahead.

Q There’s a debate over what authority you have to order the country reopened. What authority do you have?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, I have the ultimate authority, but we’re going to get into that in a minute. We’re going to just finish this up. We’re going to tell you about other things that we’ve done right.

Q Does that undermine what you’re trying to do?

THE PRESIDENT: No, not at all. Let me just tell you — very simple. I’m going to put it very simply: The President of the United States has the authority to do what the President has the authority to do, which is very powerful. The President of the United States calls the shots.

If we weren’t here for the states, you would have had a problem in this country like you’ve never seen before. We were here to back them up. And we’re backing — and we’ve more than backed them up. We did a job that nobody ever thought was possible. It’s a decision for the President of the United States.

Now, with that being said, we’re going to work with the states because it’s very important. You have local governments, they’re pinpointed. It’s really — you talk about — it’s like a microchip. They are pinpointed. We have local government that hopefully will do a good job. And if they don’t do a good job, I’d step in so fast. But no, they can’t do anything without the approval of the President of the United States.

Q Mr. President, just to clarify your understanding of your authority vis-à-vis governors — just to be very specific: For instance, if a governor issued a stay-at-home order —
THE PRESIDENT: When you say “my authority” — the President’s authority. Not mine, because it’s not me.

Q If I could just ask the question —

THE PRESIDENT: This is — when somebody is the President of the United States, the authority is total, and that’s the way it’s got to be.

Q It’s total? Your authority is total?

THE PRESIDENT: It’s total. It’s total.

Q Your authority is total?

THE PRESIDENT: And the governors know that.

Q So if a governor —

THE PRESIDENT: The governors know that. No, you have —

Q If a governor issues a stay-at-home order, you —

THE PRESIDENT: — a couple of bands of — excuse me. Excuse me. You have a couple —

Q Could you rescind that? Could you rescind that order?

THE PRESIDENT: You have a couple of bands of Democrat governors, but they will agree to it. They will agree to it.

Q What if it was a Republican governor?

THE PRESIDENT: But the authority of the President of the United States, having to do with the subject we’re talking about, is total.

So nothing about that first two block statements was swept under the rug.  He said he has ultimate authority. As President has authority over the states. Calls the shots.  Decision for the President. States can’t do anything without the approval of the President of the United States.  That was never a legitimate answer as you claimed. It's purely a proclamation of power over the states.

The latter Q&A exchange reiterated and elaborated his stance.

I find it hypocritical that you are saying everybody swept legitimate portions of this statements under the rug (which they didn't) while right now are trying to sweep his authoritarian statements under the rug.

Nobody is saying you shouldn't trust the CDC more than WHO as a US citizen.  It's a perfectly valid stance to have.  It's the knee-jerk, ego reaction that could get untold people killed during the worse global pandemic in a century that is being frowned upon.

That rethoric on a war on the virus is looking like a bad idea now, they should indeed pull back on that and nah, There is no other outcome than full on war when the masses catch up on this and anger starts to rise, The administration has started putting things in palce, we've seen the moves already with Trumps war on Madorro's drugs, It's the front line on Chinas doorstep and if Trumps and Xi's relationship really was going as well as he is saying, they wouldn't be showing their claws militarily in the SCS right now.

Or Trump ignoring professionals and promoting unproven "health advice" like people should turn to having more Zinc, Hydroxychloroquine, Azithromycin to "battle" the Coronavirus.

He is probably the biggest idiot I have ever had the hilarity of observing in politics from any nation.

Did Trump go gray over night or am I seeing things? 

Edit. Yup. He wasn't gray two weeks ago. Severe stress make mens hair go white like that but I've not seen it happen so fast, mudt be because of his age. 

Did he come out and say it?