LANSING, MIch. – Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is standing by her coronavirus (COVID-19) stay-at-home order despite thousands of protesters rallying for hours in the state’s capital.
“Operation Gridlock” lived up to its name Wednesday, as the rally made national headlines and left traffic backed up for about a mile. The car horns didn’t stop blaring after they started around 10 a.m. Wednesday.
This story has now gone national as Whitmer remains steadfast in defense of her executive order.
Apparently on the short list for the Democratic vice presidential nomination, Whitmer appeared on the third hour of the TODAY Show.
“Michigan has the third most COVID-19 cases in the nation right now, and we’re not the third-largest state in the nation,” Whitmer said. “That tells you that we got a unique crisis on our hands, and it demands a unique solution.”
That unique solution fell flat, with thousands of people attending the “Operation Gridlock” rally. Among them was conservative coalition spokesperson Meshawn Maddock, a Milford business owner.
“It’s almost like a publicity stunt,” Maddock said. “That’s really what it feels like, and it also feels like she’s mocking Michiganders.”
Maddock also said she found it distasteful that the governor appeared on Comedy Central right after the new executive order was implemented.
Whitmer said she saw the rally Wednesday, but she kept busy speaking with other governors and House Speaker Lee Chatfield.
“Michigan is an important state in 2020, so I think that’s why you’re seeing the national attention on it now,”Chatfield said. “But today is not about national attention. It’s about the people of Michigan (being) frustrated because they feel their livelihoods have been taking away, and (they’re) voicing their frustration with the government today.”
One of the things Chatfield spoke with Whitmer about was for her to start working immediately on a way to get Michigan businesses open safely and quickly.