President Donald Trump on Thursday once again said the nation’s governors should be “doing more” to combat the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic and not rely so heavily on the federal government for help.
He claimed most governors “have been fantastic,” but then took a few potshots at Washington’s Jay Inslee (D) and Michigan’s Gretchen Whitmer (D), whose name he either forgot or simply didn’t want to mention.
“We’ve had a big problem with the young, a woman governor, you know who I’m talking about from Michigan,” he told Sean Hannity of Fox News in a telephone interview. “We don’t like to see the complaints.”
Michigan has one of fastest rates of growth in coronavirus infections, now approaching 3,000 confirmed cases and 60 deaths.
However, the state has struggled to get essential supplies including protective gear for hospital workers, and Whitmer is calling on Trump to issue a major disaster declaration for the state and the emergency support that comes with it.
Trump did not indicate if that declaration would be forthcoming. However, he said this week that federal aid will only flow to states that “treat us well.”
“It’s a two-way street,” he said on Fox News on Tuesday.
Trump told Hannity on Thursday that Whitmer has “not been pleasant” and said “all she does is sit there and blame the federal government.”
Whitmer went on Twitter to set the record straight:
She added that she gets along well with Vice President Mike Pence, who is leading Trump’s coronavirus response:
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