It’s not enough that state officials have to deal with a pandemic that’s growing worse by the hour, apparently they have to show reverence to Donald Trump in order to receive much needed aid. From The Washington Post:
“I want them to be appreciative,” Trump said Friday after the White House announced that he would be using the powers granted to him under the Korean War-era Defense Production Act to try to compel auto giant General Motors to produce ventilators.
“Yet Trump — who hours earlier had suggested the need for the devices was being overblown — rejected any criticism of the federal government’s response to a ballooning public health crisis that a month ago he predicted would be over by now.“
How did all this begin? Opinion writer Greg Sargent of The Washington Post reports Trump, appearing on Sean Hannity, assigned the blame for lack of medical supplies, not on him or the federal government but on local and state officials:
“Among the governors Trump singled out was Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan. But there’s a backstory here that reflects particularly poorly on Trump’s catastrophic handling of the worst public health emergency in recent U.S. history.
“Specifically, Whitmer has outlined to reporters in her state some basic facts that illustrate shocking dereliction on the federal government’s part. These remarks haven’t gone national in any serious way — but in light of Trump’s latest attack on Whitmer, they deserve new attention.
“On Hannity’s show, Trump ripped into Whitmer, while not even hiding the fact that his anger was stoked by her criticism of his failure to deliver urgently needed supplies.“
“She’s not stepping up,” Trump fumed. “All she does is sit there and blame the federal government. She doesn’t get it done. And we send her a lot.”
Friday evening, Governor Whitmer made no mention of Trump in a video released on Twitter.
But she did write in an earlier tweet: “Right now, we all need to be focused on fighting the virus, not each other. I’m willing to work with anyone as long as we get the personal protective equipment we need for the people of Michigan.”
Saturday morning, the White House announced that Trump had approved Michigan’s request for a major federal disaster declaration.
This post contains opinion.
