Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer (D) weighed in with her concerns about President Donald Trump’s upcoming campaign rally in her state.
On Tuesday evening, the Democratic governor appeared on CNN where she expressed concern about the president’s scheduled visit to her state on Thursday amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
“It’s distressing, to say the least,” Whitmer said. “You know, we have been following the science here in Michigan and we have a mask mandate. We’ve got gathering rules to ensure we don’t have super-spreader events.”
But despite the orders Whitmer has in place, she is concerned about the president’s stance on masks and how the rally, which likely will not be socially distanced, might reverse the state’s progress in mitigating the spread of the virus.
“We anticipate that he will be descending on this state and perhaps encouraging people to come maskless,” she said.
Whitmer also offered her take on the upcoming election as she admitted that she sees the presidential race “tightening.”
“I’ve always said the road to the White House goes right through the state of Michigan,” Whitmer said, adding, “I believe this race is tightening up. We’ve seen polling to that effect and I’m not surprised by it. I think that’s precisely why you see both of the candidates here in this state this week.”
See Whitmer’s remarks below:
Michigan's Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer says she sees the presidential race tightening.
— CNN (@CNN) September 9, 2020
"The big question people are gonna ask is 'are you better off today than you were 4 years ago?'"
she says. "…For the working class in this state… the answer is unequivocally 'no.'" pic.twitter.com/HwrkECsdxo
However, Whitmer expressed confidence in Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden‘s ability to hold a safe event because he believes in “following the science.”
Like Trump, Biden will also be traveling to Michigan this week.
“I know that they are scrupulously following the science,” Whitmer said. “They want to keep their supporters and the general public safe.”
Regardless of which event residents attend, Whitmer made it clear she is working to continue keeping the state safe amid the ongoing public health crisis.
She added, “Whether you’re going to one event on Wednesday or the other on Thursday, I’m gonna do everything I can to keep the people of this state safe, whether they’re supporting all of the measures we’ve taken or not.”
The president’s upcoming rally in Michigan is set to occur just days after his rally in North Carolina where rally-goers appeared to be in violation of the state’s mask mandate, according to CNN.
Biden is set to arrive in Michigan on Wednesday and Trump will travel to the state for a campaign rally on Thursday. As of Wednesday afternoon, more than 6.5 million coronavirus cases have been confirmed across the United States.