Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison slammed President Trump for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic and claimed he is willing to let people in the United States die for his own benefit.
While appearing on MSNBC’s Saturday airing of AM Joy, Ellison accused the president of sacrificing the lives of his supporters in order to win reelection.
Host Joy Reid began the conversation by asking about Trump’s series of tweets on Friday with calls to “LIBERATE” certain states, including Minnesota, Michigan, and Virginia. All three states are 2020 election targets for the president’s campaign.
“When you hear Donald Trump talking in this faux-Confederate language about these lockdown orders, which are meant to save lives. And you see people with these instaprotests paid for by activists for the super rich, egging on this kind of activity that could get violent, what does that say to you?” Reid asked.
“It says to me that the president is willing to risk the lives of people who believe in him so that he can have advantages like reelection, and things like that,” Ellison responded. “He’s literally willing to sacrifice the lives of Americans for personal gain.”
Authorities in several states have faced blowback for strict executive orders that limit outdoor social activities and gatherings. The Raleigh Police Department faced massive online opposition after categorizing protesting as a “nonessential activity.”
Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has been chided by police officers within her own state for using her executive authority during the coronavirus pandemic to ban the sale of nonessential goods, including paint, car seats, and gardening equipment. Whitmer’s social distancing executive orders also include a ban on travel between residences.
Protesters also gathered in downtown Trenton, New Jersey, on Friday to protest Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy’s executive orders on social distancing, some of which deem liquor stores essential businesses and churches nonessential.
The New Jersey Chamber of Commerce posted about the protests on social media, including video that captured a line of cars honking their horns across the street from the State House and the governor’s office. The now-deleted tweet showed people waving American flags and chanting “no more fear” through a megaphone.
