Politics

Gov. Whitmer: ‘The Enemy Is COVID-19 … Not One Another’

NBC News

David Krayden Ottawa Bureau Chief
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Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer offered conciliatory words to the Trump administration Sunday, saying all Americans need to focus on coronavirus as the “enemy.”

After squabbling on Twitter over coronavirus protective equipment deliveries, Whitmer was asked on NBC News’ “Meet the Press” if she planned to “heal” her relationship with President Donald Trump.

“The states across the country are working 24/7. This is a challenge. This is a moment where the enemy is COVID-19; it’s not one another, and that’s why I’m grateful for the partnership we’ve gotten,” she told NBC. (RELATED: Trump Approves Michigan’s Disaster Declaration Despite Declaring Governor ‘Doesn’t Have A Clue’)

Whitmer said she has good relationship with Vice President Mike Pence, who is heading the coronavirus task force for the Trump administration.

“I have talked with the vice president a number of times, we’re working everyone from the White House on down through FEMA [Federal Emergency Management Agency], DHS [Department of Homeland Security], the Army Corps of Engineers, because it’s got to be ‘all hands on deck.’ We are not one another’s enemies. The enemy is the virus and it is spreading and it is taking American lives.” (RELATED: US Surgeon General Tells Media To Stop Sniping At Trump Over Coronavirus: ‘No More Bickering … Or Finger Pointing)

WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 24: U.S. President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence look over some notes as they participate in a Fox News Virtual Town Hall with Anchor Bill Hemmer, in the Rose Garden of the White House on March 24, 2020 in Washington, DC. Cases of COVID-19 continue to rise in the United States, with New York's case count doubling every three days according to governor Andrew Cuomo. (Photo by Doug Mills-Pool/Getty Images)

President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence look over some notes as they participate in a Fox News Virtual Town Hall with Anchor Bill Hemmer, in the Rose Garden of the White House on March 24, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Doug Mills-Pool/Getty Images)

The governor encouraged national unity during the crisis.

“That’s precisely why we governors are banding together where we can to make sure that we are organized, we are learning best practices from one another, we’re sharing information, and we’re protecting the people of our states,” Whitmer said.

Trump has already declared a national emergency over the COVID-19 pandemic and on Friday signed a $2.2 trillion coronavirus bill that will deliver money to American households.