Whitmer responds to Trump adviser telling Michigan to ‘rise up’ against COVID-19 rules
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said she won’t be “bullied” after an adviser to President Donald Trump encouraged people to “rise up” over the state’s new COVID-19 restrictions.
Whitmer on Sunday announced the new restrictions — which include stopping indoor dining at restaurants and bars, halting in-person learning at high schools and colleges and closing theaters and other entertainment businesses — as coronavirus cases surge across the United States.
Scott Atlas, a neuroradiologist and member of the White House coronavirus task force, tweeted in response that “the only way” such restrictions will stop “is if you rise up.”
“You get what you accept. #FreedomMatters #StepUp,” he tweeted.
In response, Whitmer told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer later Sunday that “the White House likes to single us out in Michigan, me out in particular.”
“I’m not gonna be bullied into not following reputable scientists and medical professionals,” she said.
Trump has previously lodged attacks against Whitmer and her handling of the pandemic.
During an October rally in Michigan, the president demanded that she reopen the state and said “lock them all up” as his supporters chanted “lock her up.”
This came shortly after the Federal Bureau of Investigation arrested a militia group it said was plotting to kidnap the governor and put her on trial for “treason.”
Atlas later tweeted of his Sunday post that he wasn’t “talking at all about violence.”
“People vote, people peacefully protest,” he wrote. “NEVER would I endorse or incite violence. NEVER!!”
Atlas, who is not an epidemiologist, has been a controversial member of the Trump’s task force.
The president has recently relied on his advice over that of Dr. Anthony Fauci or other top infectious disease experts, NBC News reports. Atlas has pushed to reopen the economy and has reportedly been seen not wearing a mask at the White House.
In October, Twitter removed a tweet in which Atlas falsely claimed that face masks don’t work to curb the spread of the virus, according to NBC News.
Whitmer told CNN on Sunday that she listens to people who “actually have studied and are well respected worldwide on these issues not the individual that is doing the president’s bidding on this one.”
The state’s Attorney General Dana Nessel also spoke out about Atlas’ tweet, calling it “disappointing, irresponsible and the reason why the United States finds itself in such desperate circumstances regarding COVID-19.”
“A patriot is one who protects America from its enemies, both foreign and domestic,” Nessel tweeted. “COVID-19 is the enemy, not each other. Stop pitting Americans against each other and start supporting policies proven to effectively fight the virus.”
More than 11 million COVID-19 cases and more than 246,000 deaths have been reported in the country as of Monday morning, according to Johns Hopkins University.
This story was originally published November 16, 2020 at 6:19 AM with the headline "Whitmer responds to Trump adviser telling Michigan to ‘rise up’ against COVID-19 rules."
