Trump Claims Michigan Is Blocking His Rallies, But Whitmer’s Office Says That’s ‘Inaccurate’

By Allison Donahue, Michigan Advance

President Donald Trump said during a national TV interview Sunday that he wasn’t allowed to hold an in-person rally in Michigan this past weekend, but the governor’s office said it was never asked.

“This is inaccurate,” Gov. Gretchen Whitmer spokesperson Tiffany Brown said. “Nobody in the administration has heard from President Trump’s team about this. It would appear the president is totally misinformed.”

During an appearance on “Fox News Sunday” with Chris Wallace, Trump said he isn’t “allowed to have rallies in these Democrat-run states.”

“I called Michigan. I want to have a big rally in Michigan. Do you know we’re not allowed to have a rally in Michigan?” Trump said Sunday.

Under the governor’s current executive orders, indoor social gatherings of up to 50 people and outdoor gatherings up to 250 people are allowed due to COVID-19.

In May, Whitmer told the Associated Press that she would consider not allowing Trump to hold rallies in the state. The state was still under a stay-home order at the time, which she lifted on June 1.

Trump has frequently been critical of the Democratic governor during the COVID-19 crisis, cheering on armed right-wing protesters in the Capitol. In March, he bragged that he told Vice President Mike Pence, who’s coordinating the White House coronavirus response, not to take Whitmer’s calls for help.

Since the pandemic took hold, Trump has held one rally last month in Tulsa, Okla., in a half-empty stadium. Following Trump’s indoor event, the city saw a spike in COVID-19 cases, which Tulsa Health Department Executive Director Bruce Dart said may be connected to the president’s rally.

Earlier this month, Trump canceled a New Hampshire rally, citing the weather, although Business Insider reported that the campaign was concerned about poor attendance.

Trump did hold a Michigan tele-rally Saturday in which he talked about Black Lives Matter protests, the economy, the border wall with Mexico and the federal response to COVID-19. While Trump trails presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden by double digits in polling averages, Michigan is still considered a key swing state.

Trump last visited Michigan in May to tour the Ford Rawsonville plant in Ypsilanti. The trip was highly criticized because the president did not wear a mask for most of the time, violating both Whitmer’s executive order and Ford’s safety policy.

“I want to get out [to Michigan] and do the rally as soon as we can and we will be doing that,” Trump said during his virtual rally Saturday. “Between COVID and your governor’s restrictions, it really makes it very difficult, but we’ll be out there eventually.”