[ad_1]
Donald Trump has verbally attacked Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, despite warnings about the effect his words may have.
During a rally in the state, Trump called on Ms. Whitmer, a Democrat, to remove the remaining restrictions intended to limit the spread of the coronavirus.
He called her “dishonest” and joked about an extremist plot recently uncovered by the FBI to kidnap her, saying, “I hope you send her packing very soon.”
His words prompted the crowd to chant, “Lock her up!”
Gretchen Whitmer was the target of a kidnapping plot uncovered by the FBI
Ms Whitmer wrote on Twitter: “This is exactly the rhetoric that has put me, my family and other government officials in danger as we try to save the lives of our compatriots.”
Earlier this month 13 men were charged with conspiring to overthrow and kidnap her from her vacation home, and one said he wanted to try her for “treason.”
Ms. Whitmer’s digital director, Tori Saylor, also urged the president to stop the dangerous words.
She wrote on Twitter: “Every time the president does this at a rally, the violent rhetoric towards (Ms. Whitmer) immediately escalates on social media. He has to stop. He just has to.”
Trump rallied in Michigan and Wisconsin on Saturday, two states that were vital to his 2016 victory but now appear to be on the run.
He told undecided and moderate voters that they had a “moral duty” to join the Republican Party, adding that “the Democratic Party that he once knew does not exist.”
:: Subscribe to Divided States on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and Spreaker
He accused his rival Joe Biden of wanting to “shut down the country, delay the vaccine and prolong the pandemic,” a pandemic he has long tried to downplay, despite warnings from public health experts.
He said a victory for Democrats would result in the “greatest depression in our country’s history” and “turn Michigan into a refugee camp,” but he offered no evidence for his claims.
He also stoked fears that even if he loses the November election, he might not leave the White House gracefully, saying in Michigan that he “better be president” in January.
Trump moves to Nevada on Sunday, Arizona on Monday and Pennsylvania on Tuesday.
Despite Biden leading the polls and having no public appearances scheduled for Saturday, his campaign manager cautioned against complacency.
Jen O’Malley Dillon wrote in a memo published by The Associated Press: “If we learned anything from 2016, it is that we cannot underestimate Donald Trump or his ability to fight his way back into the fray in the final days of a campaign, to through whatever slander or dishonest tactics he has at his disposal. “
