The Trump Administration is calling out Michigan’s governor Gretchen Whitmer for allegedly encouraging and inciting an assassination attempt on President Trump. The claims follow after Gov. Whitmer participated in an interview where a block reading “86 45” can be seen in the background. The colloquial term “86” refers to killing or getting rid of someone and President Trump is the 45th president.
The disturbing messaging caught the attention of one of the Trump campaign’s Twitter accounts where they also pointed out that a ricin-laced package had been sent to the White House just weeks earlier. The poison-filled letter was presumably meant to harm the President. A woman was later arrested in connection with the envelope near the U.S.- Canada border.
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) October 18, 2020
According to a report from Fox News:
In a statement to Fox News, Courtney Parella, the deputy national press secretary for the Trump campaign, said, “By Gretchen Whitmer’s own standard, displaying something encouraging people to ‘86’ the President is employing dangerous rhetoric.”
During the interview, Whitmer also reacted to a video clip showing Trump at a campaign rally in Muskegon, Mich., on Saturday, where the president told the crowd “you gotta get your governor to open up your state,” adding “you gotta get your schools open.”
The crowd then chanted, “Lock her up,” referring to Whitmer, before Trump added, “Lock them all up.”
“It’s incredibly disturbing that the President of the United States — 10 days after a plot to kidnap, put me on trial, and execute me — 10 days after that was uncovered, the president is at it again and inspiring, incentivizing and inciting this kind of domestic terrorism,” Whitmer said, reacting to the clip. “It is wrong. It has got to end – not just for me and my family but for public servants everywhere who are doing their jobs and trying to protect their fellow Americans.”
Just weeks ago the FBI thwarted a plot to allegedly kidnap Gov. Whitmer and target and kill law enforcement. The Michigan governor has gone so far as to blame President Trump for allegedly inciting the domestic terrorists. Whitmer also went on to claim that the President has refused to denounce white supremacy and hate groups, a statement that is completely false.
In an interview with Sean Hannity, President Trump said, “let me be clear again: I condemn the KKK. I condemn all white supremacists. I condemn the Proud Boys. I don’t know much about the Proud Boys, almost nothing, but I condemn that.”