(WXYZ) — Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer blasted the leadership in Washington and at the White House about the COVID-19 pandemic.
On CNN Tuesday night, Anderson Cooper asked Whitmer if she had listened to President Donald Trump's speech earlier in the day which ranged on topics from Joe Biden, China, highways and more.
Whitmer said she didn't listen to the speech, but added that the nation is facing challenges and we need to come together.
"What we've gotten is inconsistent, at best, derisive remarks from the White House," Whitmer said. "Things that are aimed at politicizing public health when lives are on the line."
Whitmer said that the nation's governors have stepped up to make tough decisions "with the vacuum of leadership in Washington."
"The conduct that we … engage in right now is going to determine whether or not our kids get back to school in a meaningful way in person," says Michigan Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, as schools are slated to reopen in her state in just 56 days. pic.twitter.com/mL4dd6Diqs
— CNN (@CNN) July 15, 2020
Early on in the pandemic, Whitmer took on Trump after he slammed her response to COVID-19.
"And your governor of Michigan, I mean, she's not stepping up," Trump said in March. "I don't know if she knows what's going on, but all she does is sit there and blame the federal government. She doesn't get it done. We send her a lot."
On Twitter, the Michigan governor responded to Trump saying she has "repeatedly and respectfully asked for help."
Additional Coronavirus information and resources:
Click here for a page with resources including a COVID-19 overview from the CDC, details on cases in Michigan, a timeline of Governor Gretchen Whitmer's orders since the outbreak, coronavirus' impact on Southeast Michigan, and links to more information from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, the CDC and the WHO.
View a global coronavirus tracker with data from Johns Hopkins University.
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