Gretchen Whitmer accuses Trump of 'inciting domestic terrorism' for attacking her in wake of kidnap plot

‘It is dangerous, not just for me and my family, but for public servants everywhere,’ says Whitmer

Oliver O'Connell
New York
Sunday 18 October 2020 15:53 BST
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Governor Gretchen Whitmer accuses Trump of inciting domestic terrorism

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer accused Donald Trump of “inciting domestic terrorism” for attacking her in the wake of the discovery of the plot to kidnap her.

Speaking on NBC’s Meet the Press, she said: “It's incredibly disturbing that the president of the United States, 10 days after a plot to kidnap, put me on trial and execute me ... [is] inciting this kind of domestic terrorism. ... It is dangerous, not just for me and my family, but for public servants everywhere.”

“People of goodwill on both sides of the aisle need to step up and call this out and bring the heat down,” Ms Whitmer added. “This is the United States of America. We do not tolerate actions like he is giving comfort to.”

At a Trump rally on Saturday evening in Muskegon, Michigan, the president supporters chanted “lock her up” in response to the governor’s coronavirus restrictions.

Lara Trump, the president’s campaign adviser and daughter-in-law, said on CNN’s State of the Union that he wasn’t doing anything to threaten people with the chants. She said “he was just having fun” and that the atmosphere was “light-hearted”.

Tori Saylor, governor Whitmer’s deputy digital director, said on Twitter that she sees everything that is said about and to her online.

“Every single time the President does this at a rally, the violent rhetoric towards her immediately escalates on social media,” says Ms Saylor. “It has to stop. It just has to.”

Discussing the state’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, the governor said: “I'm not gonna get distracted by attacks from the White House or a Supreme Court here in the state that is undermining my work.”

Describing the Trump administration’s pandemic response as the worst in the world, Governor Whitmer turned the conversation towards the election: “If you’re tired of lockdowns or you’re tired of wearing masks or you wish you were in church this morning ... it is time for change in this country.”

Michigan is experiencing a Covid-19 resurgence with more than 2,500 confirmed cases reported on 15 October — significantly higher than the initial wave of cases in April.

The RealClear Politics polling average currently has Democratic nominee Joe Biden leading Trump by 7.2 percentage points in the state at 50.1 per cent to 42.9 per cent.

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