COVID-19 Cases Rise To 65, Whitmer Rebukes Trump Over Insinuating She Lied On TV

On a call with reporters Tuesday afternoon, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer answered questions about the state’s preparedness for COVID-19, evolving best practices for combating the new disease — and once again defended her actions as governor upon hearing that President Donald Trump insinuated that Whitmer had lied on her MSNBC appearance this morning.

Whitmer had told MSNBC that while Michigan is taking aggressive measures to contain the spread of COVID-19, the Trump administration is failing to lead responsibly during the crisis and even provide enough federal support to states.

Tuesday afternoon, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) updated the number of COVID-19 cases in Michigan to 65, with new cases in Ingham, Jackson, Leelanau, Macomb, Oakland, Otsego and Wayne Counties and Detroit.

In a tweet following Whitmer’s MSNBC appearance, Trump called Whitmer a “failing” governor and said the administration is “pushing her to get the job done” and be more proactive.

Whitmer responded with tweets of her own soon after, defending her actions in Michigan and calling on Trump to help states more and attack governors on Twitter less.

But Trump had more words for Whitmer later on, when the president was asked about his tweet during a media briefing.

“I watched [Whitmer] on television and she said something false,” Trump said.

Referencing Whitmer and other Democratic governors, he added: “If they’re not going to play fair, I’m going to do that.”

Back in Michigan, Whitmer seemed to hear about the president’s additional comments for the first time during her call with reporters.

“What I have said is commensurate with what governors across the country have said, and what experts have said, and what anyone who’s got a television can attest to,” Whitmer said. “The federal government did not take this threat seriously enough, early enough; and because of that, we are in a position where we are at the state level having to be incredibly aggressive to mitigate the consequences in our individual states.”

She added that she is grateful for her fellow governors on both sides of the aisle who are “showing the kind of leadership that we need.”

“If that insulted anyone or [was] viewed as a personal affront, well, that was not my intention,” Whitmer said. “My intention was simply to state the facts and the challenges that we have. As a state, I know that we need the federal government to work. We need them to work well. We need them to be quick and clear.

“… The only thing I’ve observed is the same thing that other governors on both sides of the aisle have observed, and they’ve not received nearly the same rebuke that I did. You can come to your own conclusions why I was treated differently. But the fact of the matter is, I don’t have – I’m not spoiling for a fight with the White House. I want to get things done, I want to deliver for the people of Michigan and I want to hold everyone accountable and to a high standard.”

This story was originally published by the Michigan Advance. For more stories from the Michigan Advance, visit MichiganAdvance.com.