CNN "Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees" - Transcript: Interview with Gretchen Whitmer
Interview
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I want to get more perspective now in the President's rally and where he is also going this week and that is Michigan, the state's Governor Gretchen Whitmer joins me now. Governor, thanks for being with us.
So President Trump, we see the event, you know, he is holding tonight. He is holding a campaign event in your state this Thursday. As you see the pictures say from Florida and also North Carolina with no social distancing, many not wearing masks. How does -- how do you avoid this happening in Michigan? Can you?
[20:10:12]
GOV. GRETCHEN WHITMER (D-MI): Well, it's distressing to say the least. You know, we have been following the science here in Michigan. We have a mask mandate. We've got gathering rules to ensure that we don't have super spreader events, and yet we anticipate that he will be descending on this state and perhaps encouraging people to come mask-less and come together and the ways that we've seen them happening across the country, and I think this is very distressing.
We've pushed our curve down. We've saved thousands of lives. We've gotten people back to work, and events like this threaten all that sacrifice that we've made in and I would love to see the leader of our country embrace masks and encourage people to do the right thing.
This is an economic crisis. This is a public health crisis. And we've got to get serious about it and focus on getting this right.
COOPER: Are you -- I mean, I don't know -- how does it work in, you know, in your state? Do you communicate with the Trump campaign or anyone in the White House about a visit like this? I know you said you have a mask mandate.
I know in Michigan if you're outdoors, and it's not possible to stay six feet away, you have the mask mandate. Is there anything to enforce a mask mandate to mandate at these campaign events?
WHITMER: Well, the fact of the matter is, we've been educating our public. People understand the science. They get it. The vast majority of people in the state are doing the right thing.
I don't doubt that there will be people who want to show up at that event, and we'll take the lead from the man himself and drop their guard and could subject themselves to COVID-19. But the fact of the matter is, we've got Joe Biden coming into town tomorrow. I know that they are scrupulously following the science. They want to keep their supporters and the general public's faith and whether you're going to one event on Wednesday or the other on Thursday, I'm going to do everything I can to keep the people of the state safe whether they're supportive of all the measures we've taken or not, my job is to protect the people the state.
COOPER: What happens the next time President Trump wants to come to Michigan to hold an event, he is the President. You know, there's no nothing to stop somebody -- can other people hold huge events like this?
WHITMER: Well, let me just give you a quick example. There's a state legislator here in Michigan, who apparently according to reports, attended an anti-mask event mask-less and got COVID-19 himself. It meant that the State Senate couldn't even meet until a certain amount of time had passed.
And so this is still very real. It is still very present in my state. It is still very present across the country. We still six months in don't have a national strategy around testing or PPE or mask wearing and that's why it's on the nation's governors, like my friend, Mike Dewine, just to the south of me in Ohio, and me and all the rest of us to lead the way here and that's why we've got to keep following the science and doing what we need to do to protect our people until we have a President who is going to come up with a national strategy.
COOPER: How do you see the race in in Michigan?
WHITMER: Well, I've always said the race to the -- the road to the White House goes right through the State of Michigan. I believe this race is tightening up. We've seen polling to that effect and I'm not surprised by it.
I think that's precisely why you see both of the candidates here in the state this week, and I would anticipate seeing them many more times between now and Election Day.
Michigan is a state of voters who are hurting. We need to have leadership who is focused on getting us back to work and keeping us safe in the process, and so I think the big question people are going to ask is, are you better off today than you were four years ago? And for the working class in this state and across the country? The answer is unequivocally no, and I think that's why this is a year where we're going to make a big change.
But no one should take Michigan for granted. I know how hard we're working and how hard Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are working.
COOPER: Governor Whitmer, appreciate your time. Thank you.
WHITMER: Thank you.
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