Maryland's GOP governor isn't sure why Trump is encouraging protesters when his own plan says economy can't reopen yet


Governors are sticking by their decisions to keep their states' economies shut down, despite protests from frustrated citizens, some of whom received a little encouragement from President Trump, amid the novel COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) has been subject to some of the harsher criticism from Trump and the protesters, and she acknowledged her stay-at-home order is one of the most "conservative" in the country. But she told CNN's Jake Tapper on Sunday's edition of State of the Union that it's working, which she says is more important than whether people can purchase seeds or fill up their boats at the gas station. Michigan, she said, has been disproportionately affected by the virus, so she believes her measures are justified.
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R), meanwhile, was restrained, but clear in his message about the protests, telling Tapper that while he understands the frustrations, he doesn't think it's helpful for Trump to encourage demonstrations, especially considering the president's own plan says the economy can't reopen until the infection rate declines for 14 consecutive days. Tim O'Donnell
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
-
Bluetoothing: the phenomenon driving HIV spike in Fiji
Under the Radar ‘Blood-swapping’ between drug users fuelling growing health crisis on Pacific island
-
Marisa Silver’s 6 favorite books that capture a lifetime
Feature The author recommends works by John Williams, Ian McEwan, and more
-
Book reviews: ‘We the People: A History of the U.S. Constitution’ and ‘Will There Ever Be Another You’
Feature The many attempts to amend the U.S. Constitution and Patricia Lockwood’s struggle with long Covid
-
Why are beef prices rising? And how is politics involved?
Today's Big Question Drought, tariffs and consumer demand all play a role
-
Electronic Arts to go private in record $55B deal
speed read The video game giant is behind ‘The Sims’ and ‘Madden NFL’
-
Labor: Federal unions struggle to survive Trump
Feature Trump moves to strip union rights from federal workers
-
New York court tosses Trump's $500M fraud fine
Speed Read A divided appeals court threw out a hefty penalty against President Trump for fraudulently inflating his wealth
-
Trump said to seek government stake in Intel
Speed Read The president and Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan reportedly discussed the proposal at a recent meeting
-
Switzerland could experience unique economic problems from Trump's tariffs
In the Spotlight The current US tariff rate on Switzerland is among the highest in the world
-
US to take 15% cut of AI chip sales to China
Speed Read Nvidia and AMD will pay the Trump administration 15% of their revenue from selling artificial intelligence chips to China
-
Jaguar's Adrian Mardell steps down: a Maga mauling
Speed Read Jaguar Land Rover had come under fire for 'woke' advertising campaign