Gov. Whitmer Slams Trump for Threat to Bring Federal Law Enforcement to Michigan

After Donald Trump threatened to send federal law enforcement to several US cities, Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Attorney General Dana Nessel have lashed out against the president and his administration.

"It is deeply disturbing that President Trump is once again choosing to spread hateful rhetoric and attempting to suppress the voices of those he doesn't agree with," the governor said in a press release "Quite frankly, the president doesn't know the first thing about Detroit."

Since George Floyd's death in May, citizens in Detroit and Flint have held numerous peaceful demonstrations in order to speak out against police brutality and inequity in our country.

Governor Whitmer praised the people of Detroit for their peaceful demonstrations, saying the president is out of touch with the people of our state.

"Detroiters have gathered to peacefully protest the systemic racism and discrimination that Black Americans face every day," she said. "There is no reason for the president to send federal troops into a city where people are demanding change peacefully and respectfully."

Attorney General Dana Nessel weighed in as well, calling the president's threats "un-American."

"President Trump’s politically motivated threat to send ‘more federal law enforcement’ to Detroit, among other cities, has nothing to do with protecting public health or safety. It is about using the power of his office as a cudgel to punish those who use their constitutionally guaranteed rights to express views he disagrees with. Such threats undermine peace and stability in our communities by unnecessarily escalating tensions and encroaching on states’ rights,” Nessel said in a press release. “We are a nation of laws, and the President’s attempts to intimidate our communities with threats of violence could not be more un-American.”

On Monday, the president threatened to deploy federal law enforcement to Chicago, Detroit, Portland, Philadelphia, and other urban areas, most of which are controlled by democratic governments.