(Headline USA) Michigan Democrat Gov. Gretchen Whitmer admitted this week that some of the COVID-19 restrictions she imposed on residents during the pandemic were unnecessary.
When asked about some of her more controversial policies, like banning customers from buying gardening seeds during the lockdown, Whitmer told CNN: “We had to make some decisions that in retrospect don’t make a lot of sense, right? You could go to the hardware store, but we didn’t want people, you know, all congregating around the gardening supplies.”
“It was February in Michigan, no one was planting anyway,” Whitmer admitted. “But that being said, some of those policies I look back on and think that was maybe a little more than we needed to do.”
Former Republican gubernatorial candidate Tudor Dixon said Whitmer’s concession is part of her effort to rebrand herself ahead of 2024.
“Gretchen Whitmer is backpedaling as she plots her political future,” Dixon, who faced Whitmer during the 2022 midterms, said. “She once again attempts to gaslight the people of Michigan into thinking she bears no responsibility for the tyrannical, confusing and cruel lockdown policies she put in place.”
Whitmer once again attempts to gaslight the people of Michigan into thinking she bears no responsibility for the tyrannical, confusing and cruel lockdown policies she put in place.https://t.co/tuA59dX9Q3
— Tudor Dixon (@TudorDixon) March 13, 2023
Even former Rep. Peter Meijer, who has been more willing to break with members of his own party than with Democrats like Whitmer, slammed the governor for “gaslighting.”
“The gaslighting here is simply breathtaking. The orders (multiple) were in late March/early April (NOT February) and were so unclear that some stores put caution tape around entire aisles to not risk noncompliance. A bit of humility would be nice,” he wrote.
Whitmer also downplayed the impact of her order requiring nursing homes to accept COVID-positive patients and disputed data that shows Michigan’s death rate was much higher during the lockdown than Florida’s.
“I don’t know,” Whitmer said, “I’m not going to weigh in on their policies. I’m going to tell you: I listened to the best experts in the world.”
Democrat Gov. Gretchen Whitmer disputes the accuracy of data which shows Michigan's death rate during her restrictions on public gatherings was far higher than Florida, which didn't have restrictions. pic.twitter.com/0hUGiEk1mH
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) March 13, 2023
