The president took to his official Twitter handle to urge the Governor of Michigan to give the "good people" of her state a little and put a lid on the protest. He added that these people are simply trying to get their normal lives back without jeopardizing their safety. He said the governor should meet them, talk to them, and cut a deal.
Whitmer is not the only governor to face backlash over the stay-at-home orders in their state. But in Michigan, the outrage over the restrictions has been particularly severe, despite a continuous increase in cases of coronavirus. Keeping in line with that, the GOP-led state Legislature opposed Whitmer's decision to extend the state's coronavirus emergency declaration on Thursday.
They went as far as voting to authorize a lawsuit to challenge her authority to process such orders and a slew of other orders to restrict the spread of coronavirus. To show their disapproval, several protestors, with some carrying guns, gathered on the lawn outside and demanded to be let on the House floor, The Associated Press reported.
Without paying heed to Michigan Republicans' opposition, Whitmer decided to extend Michigan's state of emergency, which was originally slated to end on Thursday. Just a week ago, she extended the shelter-in-place mandate to May 15, while promising she will lift some of the more stringent parts of the order, which restricted retailers from selling non-essential items like paint and gardening supplies.
Trump’s Friday public outreach was more civil-centric and hardly focused on other points related to the pandemic when the president and Whitmer exchange caustic remarks. Whitmer hasn't refrained from expressing her dissatisfaction with how the federal government is handling the pandemic, which not only catapults to the national stage but also drew Trump's anger.
Trump, on the other hand, criticized Whitmer via tweets and during his daily press briefings, making personal attacks on "the woman in Michigan," whom he referred to as "Gretchen ‘Half’ Whitmer." With dozens of states across America headed towards reopening parts of the businesses that have been hit the hardest by the pandemic-related shutdowns, Trump is leaving no stone unturned in his attempt to push Whitmer to cut a deal with the protestors by introducing some sort of exemptions.
Some parts of the United States seem to have past their peak of infections; however, health experts warn that the country's coronavirus testing operation is not wide-spread enough to allow businesses to reopen in every part of America. Moreover, experts say trying to rush to restart normal life could trigger a deadlier rebound of the infection.