Trumps holds big rally in Michigan
President dogged by coronavirus controversy
FREELAND, Mich. — President Donald Trump tried to refocus attention on his Democratic rival at a rally in battleground Michigan Thursday as he pushed to move past revelations that he purposefully played down the danger of the coronavirus last winter.
But the virus controversy followed him as he faced new pushback from local officials worried about the growing size of his rallies and his campaign’s repeated flouting of public health guidelines intended to halt the COVID-19 spread.
That includes Michigan’s Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who raised alarms about Thursday’s event, warning it would make recovery harder.
Trump, however, reveled in the crowd of several thousand, packed shoulder-to-shoulder in a cavernous airport hangar, with Air Force One on display as his backdrop.
“This is not the crowd of a person who comes in second place,” Trump declared to cheers as he railed against Whitmer for current state restrictions.
“Tell your governor to open up your state!” he demanded, saying the state would be better if it “had a governor who knew what the hell she was doing.”
Before departing the White House, Trump said he didn’t lie to the nation as he continued to grapple with fallout from a new book by Washington Post journalist Bob Woodward.
Trump, answering questions at the White House, pointed to steps he had taken, including implementing travel restrictions, but said, “That doesn’t mean I’m going to jump up and down in the air and start saying, ‘People are going to die, people are going to die.’”
In Michigan, Trump warned that under a Biden administration, “far-left lunatics” would be placed in charge of the federal government and courts and American suburbs would be destroyed.
“Does anyone want to have a member of antifa as a resident of your suburb? I don’t think so,” Trump declared, telling his supporters, “Your vote will save America.”
Trump has resumed an aggressive campaign schedule. While the rallies so far have been held in open-air airport hangars, they have been drawing thousands of supporters despite local restrictions.
Trump has characterized the rallies as “peaceful protests” and White House press secretary Kayleigh Mcenany said attendees were exercising their First Amendment rights.