Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer slammed Donald Trump on Thursday for flouting the rules and not wearing a mask when he visited a Ford plant in her state.
During an interview with MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow, the Democratic governor said she was disappointed but not surprised by Trump’s refusal to publicly wear a face covering when he was interacting with employees and the media at the factory.
“All of the Ford executives wore the masks. All of the employees were wearing masks. All of the press were,” she said.
Trump did say he wore a mask when he was in the “back area” of the plant – and a camera did capture a glimpse of it – but he refused to strap it to his face when he knew the cameras were watching.
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Gov. Whitmer added, “Anyone in a position of power and responsibility I hope emulates and does precisely what they’re asking everyone else to do.”
Video:
“It wasn’t surprising, but it was disappointing,” Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer says of Trump’s refusal to publicly wear a mask when he visited a Michigan Ford plant. #ctl #p2 #maddow pic.twitter.com/cl9u281OhM
— PoliticusUSA (@politicususa) May 22, 2020
Whitmer said:
Well it’s disappointing. It wasn’t surprising, but it was disappointing. I think that our big three have just started the reengagement, right? They are phasing in reengaging after what has been a stay-at-home order, and the UAW members are concerned about their safety, naturally. They worked very closely, the head of the UAW, Rory Gamble, worked very closely with the head of the big three, to make sure that his members would be safe when they went back to the workplace. As you saw in the footage, all of the Ford executives wore the masks. All of the employees were wearing masks. All of the press were. And it’s really important that anyone with a platform has a responsibility to make sure that they model precisely what we’re asking everyone else to do. This is about public health, not one person’s or another. This is about all of us. And anyone in a position of power and responsibility I hope emulates and does precisely what they’re asking everyone else to do.
Trump is encouraging irresponsible behavior
Donald Trump’s refusal to wear a protective mask during his visit to the Ford factory didn’t just endanger the auto workers inside the plant, but it encouraged irresponsible behavior that could further risk public health across the country.
After all, we now know that wearing a face covering could reduce the spread of coronavirus by 75 percent. But if people follow Trump’s example, as many of his supporters likely will, then many folks won’t take that important step. As a result, the virus is more likely to spread as the country reopens.
Ultimately, Donald Trump has never been a good role model – as a businessman, president and human being in general. But his refusal to step up and be a leader in the middle of this crisis has and will continue to cost American lives.
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Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.
