Trump tweets to 'LIBERATE' states where people are protesting virus restrictions.
Mr. Trump on Friday began openly fomenting far-right protests of social distancing restrictions in states where groups of his conservative supporters have been violating stay-at-home orders, less than a day after announcing guidelines for how governors could decide on an orderly reopening of their communities.
In a series of all-caps tweets, Mr. Trump declared "LIBERATE MICHIGAN!" and "LIBERATE MINNESOTA!" — two states whose Democratic governors have imposed social distancing restrictions that have shut down businesses and schools and forced people to remain at home. He also tweeted "LIBERATE VIRGINIA, and save your great 2nd Amendment. It is under siege!"
Mr. Trump's tweets were a remarkable example of a president egging on demonstrators. Earlier this week, more than 1,000 protesters organized by conservative groups created a traffic jam on the streets around the State Capitol in Lansing, to complain that the restrictions were bad for small businesses. Over protesters, not in vehicles, waved banners in support of Mr. Trump and protested Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who has been a target of Mr. Trump's ire, by chanting, "Lock her up."
These two photos and the photo on the cover of this article are from the protest in Michigan the other day.
In St. Paul, Minnesota, a group calling itself "Liberate Minnesota" has scheduled a protest in violation of stay-at-home orders in front of the home of Gov. Tim Walz and claims that 500 people are likely to show up. The group's Facebook page says that "now is the time to demand Governor Walz and our state legislators end this lock down!"
Mr. Trump's tweets began just moments after a Fox News report by Mike Tobin, a reporter for the network, about protests in Minnesota and elsewhere. The report featured a protester from Virginia saying "those of us who are healthy and want to get out of our house and do business, we need to get this going again. It's time."
The message of support for those efforts from Mr. Trump is radically different from the one he delivered from the White House on Thursday evening. During a briefing for reporters, the president unveiled guidelines that governors could use to decide when it was safe to phase out restrictions to minimize the chance of a resurgence of the dangerous pathogen.
"We are not opening all at once, but one careful step at a time," Mr. Trump said Thursday after telling governors earlier in the day that "you're going to call your own shots."
When he was asked about the protesters during Thursday's briefing, the president expressed sympathy for the plight of people who are affected by the restrictions, saying that "it's been a tough process for people. You know, I told you this: There's death and there's problems in staying at home too. It's not just, 'Isn't it wonderful to stay at home?' They're having — they're suffering."
But he ducked the question of whether he would urge the protesters to listen to local authorities, adding that "I think they're listening. I think they listen to me. They seem to be protesters that like me and respect this opinion. And my opinion is the same as just about all of the governors."
The president's decision to embrace the protests may be good politics for him. While large majorities of the country — including Republicans — are concerned about the dangers of reopening the country too quickly, that may not be the case for his most fervent supporters. Among very conservative voters, sixty-five percent said they were more worried about reopening too slowly, according to a Pew Research Center poll released on Thursday.
New York Times, April 17, 2020
###
April 17, 2020
Voices4America Post Script. Trump is trying to foment violence, Americans at war with Americans! What is wrong with this man and his cult followers! How do we end this reign of terror! #StopTrumpPence #KeepAmericansSafe #Biden2020
