President Trump on Thursday night had harsh words for Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D), tweeting that she has done "a terrible job" and should have told him "thank you" after the FBI thwarted an alleged kidnapping plot against her.
In April, Trump tweeted "LIBERATE MICHIGAN!" after Whitmer extended a stay-at-home mandate due to the coronavirus pandemic. Not long after, armed protesters entered the Michigan statehouse, with some shouting "Lock her up!" about Whitmer. The FBI revealed on Thursday that at least six men allegedly worked toward kidnapping Whitmer and taking her to Wisconsin, where the governor would "stand 'trial' for treason."
During a press conference, Whitmer said Trump's words only encourage extremists, a statement that apparently offended the president. "The federal government provided tremendous help to the Great People of Michigan," Trump tweeted. "My Justice Department and federal law enforcement announced today that they foiled a dangerous plot against the governor of Michigan. Rather than say thank you, she calls me a white supremacist — while Biden and Democrats refuse to condemn antifa, anarchists, looters, and mobs that burn down Democrat run cities." (Whitmer did not directly call him a "white supremacist," and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has repeatedly condemned looters.)
Trump went on to tweet that he does not tolerate "ANY extreme violence. Defending ALL Americans, even those who oppose and attack me, is what I will always do as your president! Governor Whitmer — open up your state, open up your schools, and open up your churches!"
Biden also tweeted about the plot, except he praised Whitmer for working to "protect her state from a deadly pandemic." Biden said that when Trump tweeted about liberating Michigan, "that call was heard. He's giving oxygen to the bigotry and hate we see on the march in our country — and we have to stop it."