DETROIT (Reuters) – Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer said on Friday she is hopeful the state can begin to reengage parts of its economy beginning on May 1, days after facing a barrage of criticism for her strict measures to combat the new coronavirus.
FILE PHOTO: Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer sits in a 2019 Chevrolet Traverse, assembled in Lansing, Michigan, at the General Motors display area during the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan, U.S., January 15, 2019. REUTERS/Rebecca Cook
Later on Friday, President Donald Trump, who has traded jabs with Whitmer over the state’s handling of the outbreak, tweeted: “LIBERATE MICHIGAN!” along with similar tweets naming other states with other Democratic governors.
During a Friday afternoon press conference, Whitmer said she hoped Trump’s tweet wasn’t encouraging more protests, and that anyone with a high profile should be assuring the public that Americans will get through the outbreak.
“We will re-engage our economy when it’s safe,” she said. “The last thing I want to do is to have a second wave here.”
Trump did not mention Ohio, whose Republican g