Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) was greeted by protesters after extending the state’s stay-at-home order on April 30, and she is adamant they do not constitute the state as a whole.
“Displays like the one that we saw at our capitol is not representative of who we are in Michigan,” Whitmer said.
She added, “There were swastikas and confederate flags and nooses and people with assault rifles. That’s a small group of people when you think about the fact that this is a state of almost 10 million people.”
Whitmer issued three executive orders to extend the emergency and disaster declaration set to expire at midnight on April 30, as IJR previously reported.
Watch her comments below:
“We have to listen to the epidemiologist and health experts and displays like the one we saw at our capitol is not representative of who we are.” Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer reacts to protesters descending on her state’s capitol, including some who were armed. #CNNSOTU pic.twitter.com/lfPgGnpkGC
— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) May 3, 2020
Whitmer acknowledged the majority of Michigan residents are abiding by the guidelines and as a result, the curve has gone downward and lives have been saved.
She urged Americans to continue to listen to epidemiologists and health experts rather than political rallies and tweets.
Whitmer explained how the protests displayed the most tragic moments of the nation’s past.
“Some of the outrageousness of what happened at our capital this week depicted some of the worst racism and awful parts of our history in this country,” Whitmer said.
She reiterated these protesters do not represent all of Michigan.
“The behavior that you’ve seen in all of the clips is not representative of who we are in Michigan,” she added.
President Donald Trump weighed in on the protests urging Whitmer to compromise with the protesters.
“The Governor of Michigan should give a little, and put out the fire. These are very good people, but they are angry,” Trump tweeted on Friday.
He continued, “They want their lives back again, safely! See them, talk to them, make a deal.”
The Governor of Michigan should give a little, and put out the fire. These are very good people, but they are angry. They want their lives back again, safely! See them, talk to them, make a deal.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 1, 2020
The coronavirus continues to spread across the nation. As of Sunday afternoon, there are more than 1,000,000 coronavirus cases and over 66,000 deaths.