Trump backs Michigan lockdown protest
LANSING, Mich. — President Donald Trump backed Thursday’s Michigan Capitol protesters in a Friday morning tweet, saying Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer should “give a little, and put out the fire.”
Hundreds of protesters gathered at the Capitol in Lansing on Thursday, urging an end to Michigan’s state of emergency. At one point, a large group, some with rifles slung over their shoulders — which is permitted in the Michigan Capitol — massed in the lobby outside the House chambers and yelled at Michigan State Police troopers and House sergeants, demanding to be allowed on to the House floor.
“These are very good people, but they are angry. They want their lives back again, safely! See them, talk to them, make a deal,” Trump said on Twitter.
However, despite the protesters and a lawsuit threat from GOP lawmakers over her executive orders, Whitmer was unmoved, deciding to extend Michigan’s state-of-emergency declaration against the Legislature’s wishes and without its approval.
Whitmer’s Thursday executive actions extends various business closures and the emergency declaration to May 28.
Outside the House chamber, the protesters crammed into the hallway and stairwell, periodically chanting, “Lock her up!” and “Let us in!” Their chanting could be heard faintly from the House floor. Ultimately, the Republicans gave the protesters what they wanted — a refusal to extend Whitmer’s emergency declaration. In Michigan, legislative approval is required to extend emergency declarations beyond 28 days; Whitmer’s expired Thursday night, with no such approval to renew.
But at the end of the night, that didn’t stop Whitmer from issuing a new set of executive orders anyway, citing even broader emergency powers.
“COVID-19 is an enemy that has taken the lives of more Michiganders than we lost during the Vietnam War,” Whitmer said in a statement. “While some members of the legislature might believe this crisis is over, common sense and all of the scientific data tells us we’re not out of the woods yet.”
What played out in Michigan on Thursday was the latest power clash between Democratic governors and Republican-controlled legislatures. GOP lawmakers in Wisconsin and Illinois have resorted to suing their respective Democratic governors to strip them of powers. On Thursday, the Michigan House and Senate, controlled by Republicans, voted on a resolution authorizing leaders to do the same to Whitmer, challenging her executive actions during the pandemic.
In its efforts to curb Whitmer’s powers, the Legislature also passed a bill Thursday that would have begun reopening businesses with restrictions, nixed Whitmer’s stay-at-home order, and codified most of her other orders so that the Legislature would have more authority over them. Whitmer said she would veto the bill, adding that she would not support legislation intended to limit her power to protect the state.
In Michigan, more than 3,800 people have died of the virus, with more than 42,000 confirmed cases.
Michigan House Speaker Lee Chatfield was among the Republican legislators urging Whitmer to work in partnership with lawmakers instead of vetoing the bill.
“We believe you can prioritize public health yet be reasonable in your approach to fighting covid,” Chatfield said. “There is a misnomer out there, a complete false narrative, that you either have to choose public health or you have to choose jobs to put food on the table or you have to choose constitutional rights, because in a time of crisis you can’t have all three. And that is false.”
He said later on Twitter that he was “very disappointed” that “we offered our hand of partnership to the governor” and “she just said no.”