Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel suggested President Trump’s criticism of her state, which has instituted some of the strictest coronavirus-related orders in the country, is rooted in sexism because of the state’s female leadership.
“Michigan is the only state with women who hold our three executive offices and just in the last — we’re the only state where the president has individually gone after each one of us,” Ms. Nessel told NBC News Saturday. “You do the math.”
“I’m tired of having to pretend that something isn’t very wrong with the man that is our president,” she said. “I never thought I’d be in a Twitter war with the president of the United States, but I never thought we’d have a president of the United States quite like Donald Trump.”
Ms. Nessel, a Democrat, got into a Twitter spat with the president last week after he wore a face mask for only a portion of his visit to the Ford Motor plant in Ypsilanti. Mr. Trump said he didn’t want to give the press the “pleasure” of seeing him in the mask, though he said he wore it earlier during a private tour of the facility.
Ms. Nessel responded to the stunt by blasting the president as a “petulant child” and declaring he was no longer welcome in Michigan.
“Today’s events were extremely disappointing and yet totally predictable,” she said Thursday. “The president is like a petulant child who refuses to follow the rules. I have to say this is no joke.”
Mr. Trump fired back in a tweet warning Ms. Nessel not to take out her frustrations on Ford.
“Do nothing A.G. of the Great State of Michigan, Dana Nessel, should not be taking her anger and stupidity out on Ford Motor,” the president wrote. “[T]hey 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!”
Ms. Nessel, who is not up for re-election this year, moved quickly to fundraise off the feud.
On Saturday, she said Mr. Trump’s refusal to wear a mask in front of reporters “sends a very concerning message” to Americans.
“I was infuriated and exasperated because I know that for every person who goes into a place of business where they’re told to wear a mask, and they see the president not wearing one, their reaction is going to be, ‘The president of the United States doesn’t have to wear one. Why should I?’” she said. “This isn’t funny, these are people’s lives.”
“He needs to lead by example, and unfortunately, per usual, he’s really not doing that,” she said.
Mr. Trump, who is strongly urging states to reopen their economies, has repeatedly criticized Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, for her approach to the pandemic. She recently extended the state’s stay-at-home order until at least June 12.
Mr. Trump also recently battled with Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, a Democrat, threatening to withhold federal funds from the state after it sent absentee ballot applications for November’s election to registered voters.
