Whitmer: Trump 'Doesn't Know The First Thing About Detroit'

DETROIT, MI — Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel on Monday issued a joint response to a threat by President Donald Trump to send federal law enforcement to Detroit to combat people demonstrating against police brutality in the wake of the death of George Floyd.

Trump made statements about sending federal law enforcement to the city while discussing cities across the nation.

"It is deeply disturbing that President Trump is once again choosing to spread hateful rhetoric and attempting to suppress the voices of those he doesn't agree with," Whitmer said. "Quite frankly, the president doesn't know the first thing about Detroit. If he did, he would know that for nearly two months now, Detroiters have gathered to peacefully protest the systemic racism and discrimination that Black Americans face every day.

"There is no reason for the president to send federal troops into a city where people are demanding change peacefully and respectfully. If the president actually wants to help the people of Michigan, he can start by picking up the phone and telling Mitch McConnell to pass the HEROES Act, so we can provide immediate relief to Michigan's families, schools, and small businesses."

Nessel called Trump's threat "politically motivated" and said it "has nothing to do with with protecting public health or safety."

"It is about using the power of his office as a cudgel to punish those who use their constitutionally guaranteed rights to express views he disagrees with," she said. "Such threats undermine peace and stability in our communities by unnecessarily escalating tensions and encroaching on states’ rights. We are a nation of laws, and the President’s attempts to intimidate our communities with threats of violence could not be more un-American.”

Trump has recently deployed federal forces in cities such as Portland to suppress protests against police brutality. Trump described Chicago, one city that had large numbers of protests, as "worse than Afghanistan."

Early on Monday, federal law enforcement used tear gas to disperse groups of demonstrators near a federal court house in Portland, according to The Detroit News.

"The fact is (city police are) restricted from doing anything. They can't do anything. Well, I'm going to do something, that I can tell you," Trump said Monday. "Because we're not going to let New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Detroit, Baltimore ... we're not going to let this happen in our country.

"We're going to have more federal law enforcement, that I can tell you," Trump added. "In Portland, they've done a fantastic job."