Washington governor Jay Inslee slammed President Trump on Friday after the president took to Twitter and made calls to “liberate” certain Democrat-led states.
Trump on Friday morning appeared to express support for voters protesting lockdowns in Virginia, Minnesota, and Michigan, all three of which have Democratic governors.
LIBERATE MINNESOTA!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 17, 2020
LIBERATE MICHIGAN!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 17, 2020
LIBERATE VIRGINIA, and save your great 2nd Amendment. It is under siege!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 17, 2020
“The president’s statements this morning encourage illegal and dangerous acts. He is putting millions of people in danger of contracting COVID-19. His unhinged rantings and calls for people to ‘liberate’ states could also lead to violence. We’ve seen it before,” Inslee said in a statement. “The president is fomenting domestic rebellion and spreading lies even while his own administration says the virus is real and is deadly, and that we have a long way to go before restrictions can be lifted.”
Over the past week, Trump has repeatedly clashed with state governors over their restrictions on businesses and large gatherings. On Monday, Trump wrote that “it is the decision of the President” when to lift such restrictions, a comment that drew bipartisan pushback.
“The Constitution and common sense dictates these decisions be made at the state level,” Senator Marco Rubio (R., Fla.) wrote on Twitter.
On Thursday, the White House released guidelines that let individual states decide when to reopen, with one White House official saying “the buck stops with the governors.”