Michigan AG says she will not ‘twiddle my thumbs’ as Trump risks health, safety of residents

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel (D) hammered President Trump Friday evening, saying she will not stand by as he takes action that she says endangers Michiganders.

“He has risked the health, safety and welfare of everyone who lives in this state, and I will not remain silent and just twiddle my thumbs as I see him do that,” Nessel said on NPR’s All Things Considered. 

Nessel added that Trump’s choice not to wear a mask in public “sends the worst possible message at the worst possible time.”

The remarks are the latest salvo in a back-and-forth between Nessel and Trump.

Trump first went after Michigan after its secretary of state decided to send absentee ballot applications to its 7.7 million registered voters, a move the president claimed without evidence would increase voter fraud.

Trump later in the week refused to wear a mask while touring a Ford plant in Michigan, leading Nessel to call him a “petulant child who refuses to follow the rules.”

“Do nothing A.G. of the Great State of Michigan, Dana Nessel, should not be taking her anger and stupidity out on Ford Motor — they might get upset with you and leave the state, like so many other companies have — until I came along and brought business back to Michigan. JOBS!” Trump fired back on Twitter Thursday.

Do nothing A.G. of the Great State of Michigan, Dana Nessel, should not be taking her anger and stupidity out on Ford Motor – they might get upset with you and leave the state, like so many other companies have – until I came along and brought business back to Michigan. JOBS!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 22, 2020

Trump has made Michigan, a key swing state, a major focus in recent weeks, coming out in support of protesters who demanded that Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) relax her coronavirus-related restrictions, calling armed protesters who stormed the state capitol “very good people.” 

“This is an individual who has encouraged people to break the law in a manner that jeopardizes the health of all our state residents,” Nessel said on Friday. “And then when we have armed gunmen storming the capitol holding swastikas and confederate flags, he calls them very good people who our governor ought to negotiate with.”