Trump Calls Governor Whitmer 'The Woman In Michigan' During Coronavirus Press Conference
Trump said Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and others aren’t ‘appreciative’ of him
As states continue to sound the alarms about the lack of personal protective equipment and ventilators in their hospitals, Trump decided it would be a good time to threaten certain states with no help because they don’t “appreciate” him. He took particular aim at the state of Michigan and their governor, Gretchen Whitmer, who he referred to as “the woman in Michigan.”
During his press conference on Friday, Trump told reporters that he instructed Vice President Mike Pence to not call Whitmer or the Washington governor Jay Inslee (who he also did not refer to by name). Trump said that even though both states are pleading for federal government aid, they haven’t been “appreciative” enough of Trump’s coronavirus efforts thus far.
“I tell him — I mean I’m a different type of person — I say, ‘Mike, don’t call the governor in Washington, you’re wasting your time with him. Don’t call the woman in Michigan,’” Trump said. “If they don’t treat you right, I don’t call.”
As of this morning, the state of Michigan has over 3600 coronavirus cases and 92 deaths. Surgeon General Jerome Adams told CBS This Morning that Detroit “will have a worse week next week.”
Trump continued his rant, explaining that governors that criticize him and his administration’s response is unpatriotic and should somehow be punished because of it.“When they’re not appreciative to me, they’re not appreciative to the Army Corps, they’re not appreciative to FEMA,” Trump said. “It’s not right.”
During an interview with Fox New’s Sean Hannity on Thursday night, Trump also said the Michigan governor — whose name he forgot — is “not stepping up. I don’t know if she knows what’s going on. But all she does is sit there and blame the federal government.”
“Hi, my name is Gretchen Whitmer, and that governor is me,” Whitmer wrote in response on Twitter. “I’ve asked repeatedly and respectfully for help. We need it. No more political attacks, just PPEs, ventilators, N95 masks, test kits. You said you stand with Michigan — prove it.”
“What I’ve gotten back is that vendors with whom we’ve procured contracts — they’re being told not to send stuff to Michigan,” she told WWJ 950. “It’s really concerning. I reached out to the White House last night and asked for a phone call with the president, ironically at the time this stuff was going on.”
Whitmer then took to Twitter again, saying, “right now, we all need to be focused on fighting the virus, not each other. I’m willing to work with anyone as long as we get the personal protective equipment we need for the people of Michigan.”
What a shame that the president is putting his petty ego grievances above the health of an entire state of people.
