Trump Complains Democratic Governors Don’t Appreciate Virus Help

(Bloomberg) -- President Donald Trump complained that two Democratic governors don’t appreciate his administration’s efforts to combat the coronavirus epidemic and said Vice President Mike Pence shouldn’t take their calls.

“I want them to be appreciative. I don’t want them to say things that aren’t true,” Trump said of the governors at a White House news conference Friday. “When they’re not appreciative to me, they’re not appreciative to the Army Corps. They’re not appreciative of FEMA,” he added, referring to the Corps of Engineers and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Washington Governor Jay Inslee, Trump said, is “constantly chirping and I guess complaining, would be a nice way of saying it. We’re building hospitals, we’ve done a great job for the state of Washington.

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Trump said, “has no idea what’s going on and all she does is say, ‘Oh, it’s the federal government’s fault.’ And we’ve taken such good care of Michigan.” The president didn’t use her name, instead referring to her as “the woman in Michigan.”

He later insulted Whitmer on Twitter.

Both are Democrats. They have publicly complained that they haven’t received adequate support from the federal government to fight virus outbreaks in their states.

Trump said he told Pence not to call the two governors. “I say ‘Mike, don’t call the governor of Washington, you’re wasting your time with him, don’t call the woman in Michigan, it doesn’t make any difference what happens.’”

“If they don’t treat you right, I don’t call,” Trump said. Pence, he said, is “a different type of person, he’ll call quietly anyway.”

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