- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Sunday backed up Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s assertions that President Donald Trump’s rhetoric is dangerous and incites violence.
- Last week, Whitmer was the target of an elaborate kidnapping plot that got foiled by the FBI.
- Since the men behind the attack have been arrested, Whitmer has accused Trump of using rhetoric that sows division and hatred.
- “The president has to realize that words of the president of the United States weigh a ton,” Pelosi said Sunday, echoing Whitmer’s comments.
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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Sunday echoed Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s assertions that President Donald Trump’s rhetoric is dangerous and incites violence.
Whitmer was the target of a foiled kidnapping attempt last week. The FBI said the agency has arrested a group of militia members on charges of suspicion to plot to kidnap and hold her hostage. The men behind the foiled attempt had been monitoring Whitmer’s vacation home and building bombs, according to the FBI.
Following news of the attempted kidnapping, Trump had not denounced the men allegedly behind the attack but tore into the governor, saying she’s “done a terrible job.”
“She locked down her state for everyone, except her husband’s boating activities,” he tweeted.
—Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 9, 2020
Trump at a campaign rally on Saturday again criticized Whitmer for issuing executive orders meant to limit the spread of the coronavirus in Michigan. The crowd responded by chanting “lock her up,” a phrase first chanted by Trump supporters during the 2016 presidential election and in reference to Hillary Clinton.
"This is exactly the rhetoric that has put me, my family, and other government officials' lives in danger while we try to save the lives of our fellow Americans," Whitmer said in response to Trump's Saturday rally. "It needs to stop."
Pelosi backed her up Sunday, characterizing Trump's language as "irresponsible."
"The president has to realize that words of the president of the United States weigh a ton. And in our political dialogue, to inject fear tactics into it — especially a woman governor and her family — is so irresponsible," she said on ABC's "This Week."
—This Week (@ThisWeekABC) October 18, 2020
"And in all fairness to people who listen to him, people think the president is important and what he says should be adhered to," she continued. "And so we have this horrible situation. But the people have awakened to him. 26 million people already voting. The biggest antidote to his poison is the vote."
Other heavyweight lawmakers have also criticized Trump's response following the news of the kidnapping attempt.
Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden slammed Trump earlier this week, calling his attacks on Whitmer "despicable."
"That was a planned act of terrorism, a plot," Biden said. "To kidnap an American leader is the sort of behavior you might expect from ISIS and should shock the conscience of every American, to see that sort of twisted thinking take root here in America."
