Trump rips govs & doubles down on ‘Chinese virus’

So much for “we’re all in this together.”

President Trump struck a divisive tone Tuesday when he blasted Gov. Cuomo and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer for demanding federal leadership in the face of the coronavirus crisis — and used a xenophobic term to blame China for the pandemic.

“Some [states] are being hit hard by the Chinese Virus, some are being hit practically not at all. New York is a very big “hotspot”, West Virginia has, thus far, zero cases. Andrew, keep politics out of it,” Trump wrote on Twitter.

Cuomo responded by trying to strike a conciliatory note. “I reach my hand out in cooperation,” to Trump, the governor said.

Trump slammed Whitmer (photo) as “failing” and said she “must work harder.”

Whitmer quickly hit back by tweeting an extensive list of the actions taken by Michigan so far to combat the fastspreading pandemic.

“Mr. President — attack tweets won’t solve this crisis. But swift and clear guidance, tests, personal protective equipment, and resources would,” Whitmer tweeted.

Trump inexplicably shifted tone at a press conference later when he praised Cuomo for his response and said he has been working well with all governors, including prominent Democrats like Cuomo and California Gov. Gavin Newsom.

The president claimed that “no one is better at bipartisanship than Donald Trump” and asserted that he only lashes out at rivals when he is criticized.

Public health experts say it would be better for Trump and other leaders to take a consistent tone instead of veering from fierce criticism to praise and patting themselves on the back.

Trump was apparently triggered by criticism about his teleconference Monday in which he told governors to try to source essential medical equipment on their own.

He singled out Cuomo by name as the one governor who needs “to do more.” Cuomo replied by telling Trump that he is supposed to be leading the fight against coronavirus, not taking political potshots.

Trump’s use of the term “Chinese Virus” is also likely to spark new controversy.

Some of his far-right-wing allies have sought to blame China for the virus, which has become a global pandemic. That dovetails with Trump’s claims that his response to the crisis has been a perfect “10” by shutting down travel from China early in the crisis.

At the same time, Trump spent weeks blithely dismissing the danger to Americans and failed to dramatically ramp up testing in the early days of the crisis when that would have been a key preventive measure.

Just 10 days ago, Trump traveled to Florida for a golf weekend at his Mar-a-Lago club as experts called for testing to be dramatically ramped up. He met with at least two Brazilian officials there who later tested positive for the virus.