Governor accuses Trump of fighting ‘fellow Americans’ [Video]

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, speaking at the Democratic National Convention on Monday night, slammed the Trump administration’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.
• The Michigan governor accused the president of fighting his “fellow Americans” instead of the pandemic.
• Whitmer condemned the White House for offering “too little help” for Michigan while it struggled with the crisis.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer accused President Trump of fighting “his fellow Americans” instead of the coronavirus during her speech at the Democratic National Convention on Monday night.

During her speech, the Michigan governor criticized the president for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

“We’ve learned who is essential … not just the wealthiest among us. Not the president who fights his fellow Americans rather than fight the virus that’s killing us and our economy,” Whitmer said.

“It’s the people who put their own health at risk to care for the rest of us. They are the MVPs,” she added, naming nurses, doctors, utility workers, grocery clerks, auto workers and mail carriers among others. 

The governor cited data that nearly 1,000 US health care workers have died from COVID-19. The death toll in the country surpassed 170,000 people on Monday. 

“Generation after generation our nation has been defined by what we do or by what we fail to do, so … in the memory of all those we’ve lost, let us act,” Whitmer continued. “Let us heal as one nation. Let us find strength to do the work.”

Whitmer endorsed presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden and his running mate Sen. Kamala Harris, saying the duo “will lead by example.”

“Science, not politics or ego, will drive their decisions. They know: The health of our people goes hand-in-hand with the strength of our economy.”

Whitmer also condemned the White House for offering “too little help” for Michigan as it struggled with the coronavirus crisis, adding “we saved thousands of lives” despite the situation.

“Just imagine if we had a national strategy,” the governor said.

According to data from Johns Hopkins University, the U.S. has already recorded over 5.4 million cases of COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic.

Laura Cox, chairwoman of the Michigan Republican Party, criticized Whitmer’s “partisan colors,” tweeting that the governor “has outright failed Michigan.”

Source: The Hill