President Trump criticized some Democratic governors who he believes have taken stay-at-home orders meant to prevent the spread of the coronavirus too far.
A number of communities placed under stay-at-home orders have taken to the streets to protest the strict restrictions in states such as Michigan and New Jersey. The president weighed in on the protests on social media Friday morning, appearing on the side of the protesters, demanding that people in Michigan, Minnesota, and Virginia “liberate” themselves and reopen their economies.
The president then addressed the statements and whether they’re contradictory to health officials’ guidelines, during the White House Coronavirus Task Force briefing later in the day.
“I think we do have a sobering guidance, but I think some things are too tough,” he said. “If you look at some of the states you just mentioned, they’re too tough. Not only relative to this, but what they’ve done in Virginia, with respect to the Second Amendment, it’s just a horrible thing. They did a horrible thing. The governor, and he’s a governor under a cloud to start off with. So, when you see what he’s said about the Second Amendment and when you see what other states have done, no, I think I feel very comfortable.”
The president was then asked if he believes those states should lift their stay-at-home orders.
“No, but I think elements of what they have done are too much,” he explained. “It’s just too much. You know the elements because I’ve already said, but certainly a Second Amendment and Second Amendment having to do with the state of Virginia, what they’ve done in Virginia is just incredible.”
In one example, Michigan residents took to the streets in Lansing to protest Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s most recent orders that included the banning of nonessential goods, including clothing, gardening seeds, and car seats.
The president also took a shot at Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam and the Democratic legislative body over gun control legislation passed by the Virginia General Assembly this year.
