(WWJ/AP) Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer says President Donald Trump's recent announcement on immigration is distracting from efforts to combat the coronavirus pandemic — and part of "inconsistent messages" that scare people and put the public in "greater danger."
The first-term governor told The Associated Press in an interview Tuesday that pronouncements about immigration policy now are "scary" for immigrants, those hoping to immigrate and others.
After tweeting vaguely Monday evening that he would sign an executive order “to temporarily suspend immigration into the United States” because of the coronavirus, Trump Tuesday afternoon clarified that a 60-day "pause" on immigration will only apply to those seeking certain green cards.
Whitmer, a Democrat who has recently feuded with Trump, also told the AP would participate in vetting to be presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden's running mate, if asked.
“Of course I would give whatever they’ve asked for,” said Whitmer, who has repeatedly downplayed any interest in the position. “But I’m not auditioning for any different job than the one that I have right now.”
Whitmer insisted her focus now is on managing the crisis that has devastated her state's economy and killed 2,700 people. She said her state, along with others, is struggling to conduct sufficient testing and urged Trump to use all his powers to force manufacturers to produce more test swabs.
She spoke as some Republican governors have begun the process of reopening the economy without waiting for more testing, moves that gives her “great pause.” (Read more from the AP interview here.)
On the topic of when Michigan an "reopen" for business — Whitmer told a group of small business leaders Tuesday that the people of Michigan will "need to believe it is safe to return."
Addressing an online gathering of the Small Business Association of Michigan, the governor reiterated any decisions she makes will continue to be driven by science; or, in her words, "what the COVID-19 numbers bare out."
WWJ's Jon Hewett reports Whitmer described what she called the ongoing push-pull ballance of sorting out how and when and where to restart the economy.
"If COVID numbers start to ratchet up, we might need have to be able to pull back from one step to the next," she said, "And, so, I just shared that with you because I don't want to created an expectation that the whole world's going to be able to resume as we were, because that's not going to be the case for quite awhile."
Whitmer said details about a plan to reopen Michigan bushiness will be coming next week.
This all comes as the novel coronavirus has now taken 2,700 lives in Michigan. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Service Tuesday afternoon reported 232 more deaths confirmed since Monday's report — the highest daily death toll since the pandemic began. The infection count also continues to climb, with 32,967 cases now confirmed in the state.