Lansing, Michigan – President Donald Trump’s allies try to put a stop to a risky confrontation with Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, given the difficulties of the US president to balance electoral policy with the global pandemic of the coronavirus in a crucial state.
The two sides have tried to reduce the decibels of the confrontation. Above all, Trump supporters are trying to ease tensions sparked by the Republican President’s barrage of tweets against Whitmer, a Democratic governor who has criticized the federal government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Trump has clashed with other Democratic governors, but has reserved his most aggressive insults for the governor, considered a possible running mate of his electoral rival Joe Biden.
“Everyone should put aside partisan politics and unite,” said Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel. “I want Governor Whitmer to succeed. I think he has done a lot of things well … I just don’t like that he attributes all the problems to the president. ”
Michigan is a crucial battleground for the presidential contenders. Historically, it rewards bipartisanship, pragmatism, and candidates who turn to key institutions during a crisis. Four years ago, Trump won the state by just 11,000 votes out of a total of more than 4.5 million.
A Republican representative for Michigan, Paul Mitchell, said he directly expressed his concern about the Trump political attack to the government.
“I told the government that it didn’t seem useful to me and that there was no reason,” Mitchell said. “These are times when the American people are looking for leaders. Leaders don’t complain. Leaders don’t blame others. “
Whitmer’s rise in the Democratic Party has been characterized by his sparse attacks on Trump.
Whitmer, a 48-year-old attorney and former state legislator, introduced herself as a pragmatic liberal in the campaign for the governorship, highlighting her bipartisanship and the promise to repair the roads. Chosen by Democrats to respond to Trump’s state of the union address, she spoke on topics of interest to workers, such as public health, and made just a few references to the president’s behavior.
But lately, in frequent appearances on national television, Whitmer has criticized the government while pleading with him to send him artificial respirators, personal protective equipment and clinical analysis tests, since his state is one of the most affected by the pandemic.
In a barrage of tweets over the weekend, Trump said Whitmer “has no idea” about how to handle the crisis. Two days earlier, he said he had instructed Vice President Mike Pence, who is leading the White House response to the pandemic, not to contact “the woman in Michigan.”
I love Michigan, one of the reasons we are doing such a GREAT job for them during this horrible Pandemic. Yet your Governor, Gretchen “Half” Whitmer is way in over her head, she doesn’t have a clue. Likes blaming everyone for her own ineptitude! #MAGA
– Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 28, 2020
The president later deleted that tweet. Additionally, he said Tuesday that he had had a fruitful conversation with Whitmer.
The governor has also retracted a bit, as the state faces the growing crisis. As of Tuesday, Michigan had reported more than 7,600 coronavirus cases with 259 deaths.
“The number one priority is to protect Michigan families from the spread of COVID-19,” it said in a statement. “I’m not interested in partisan fights or that the president gives me nicknames.”
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