(WXYZ) — Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer said she previously had bipartisan support on her COVID-19 initiatives before President Donald Trump "set his sights" on her.
In an interview with 7 Action News, Whitmer said her first inclination is to always work together and come up with a solution that transcends party lines.
In March, Whitmer criticized the Trump administration for its slow response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
She said the federal government "hasn't been prepared" for the pandemic and that she is instead using "every tool in the toolbox" to create safe and economic policies in the state of Michigan.
To that critique, President Trump called Whitmer a 'failing Michigan governor' on Twitter and called her 'to be more proactive' – to which Whitmer tweeted an extensive list of measures she has taken to keep Michiganders safe.
Whitmer told 7 Action News that she was working together with the Legislature and had bipartisan support for the state of emergency; she said that support fell away and became partisan after Trump's remarks.
"It's unfortunate," she said. "I would like to see us building bridges."
In May, Michigan's Republican leaders filed a lawsuit against Whitmer over her emergency powers.
Judge Cynthia Stephens ruled that the Republicans' challenge to the governor's authority to declare a state of emergency under the EPGA were "meritless."
Additional Coronavirus information and resources:
Click here for a page with resources including a COVID-19 overview from the CDC, details on cases in Michigan, a timeline of Governor Gretchen Whitmer's orders since the outbreak, coronavirus' impact on Southeast Michigan, and links to more information from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, the CDC and the WHO.
View a global coronavirus tracker with data from Johns Hopkins University.
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