Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer said Tuesday that President Donald Trump’s rally planned to take place in her state is “distressing,” but added that she’s not worried about Democratic Presidential nominee Joe Biden’s event.
The Trump event that is planned for Thursday is “distressing, to say the least,” the governor told Anderson Cooper on CNN. Biden’s visit on Wednesday, however, does not concern her because she said that “I know they are scrupulously following the science” and “they want to keep their supporters and the general public safe.”
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According to the governor, Trump does not encourage mask use while Biden does, and that’s the difference between the two events.
“We anticipate that [Trump] will be descending on this state and perhaps encouraging people to come maskless,” Whitmer added according to the report. “This is very distressing.”
“We’ve pushed our curve down, we’ve saved thousands of lives, we’ve gotten people back to work, and events like this threaten all that sacrifice that we’ve made,” the governor added. “And I would love to see the leader of our country embrace masks and encourage people to do the right thing.”
Governor Whitmer imposed some of the strictest lockdown measures in the country following the outbreak of coronavirus. She faced intense pushback, including protests, from those in her state who said such measures were unnecessary and that she was stifling the economy. (RELATED: Gov. Whitmer: ‘I’m Never Going To Apologize’ For Shutting Down Michigan)
“I don’t doubt that there will be people who want to show up at that [Trump] event and will take the lead from the man himself and drop their guard and could subject themselves to COVID-19,” Whitmer continued. “But the fact of the matter is that we’ve got Joe Biden coming into town tomorrow, I know that they are scrupulously following the science, they want to keep their supporters and the general public safe, and whether you’re going to one event on Wednesday or the other on Thursday, I’m going to do everything I can to keep the people of this state safe.”
President Trump’s event is planned for 7 PM Thursday near MBS International Airport in Freeland, according to the Detroit Free Press. Former Vice President Biden will visit Michigan Wednesday, and the event is scheduled for 1:15 PM in Warren.
“While Joe Biden panders to his selected crowd on the rare occasion he leaves his Delaware basement, Michiganders look forward to safely celebrating President Trump’s agenda of ‘Promises Made, Promises Kept,'” said Trump campaign spokesperson Chris Gustafson, the Detroit Free Press reported.
He added that enthusiasm for the president in Michigan is “off the charts.”