Whitmer Attacks DeSantis — ‘Incredibly Destructive’ When Leaders Stoke Fear, Wage Culture Wars

Governor Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI) said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” that Gov. Ron DeSantis’ governing style was “incredibly destructive.”

Anchor Jake Tapper said, “Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, your gubernatorial colleague, is widely expected to run for president in 2024. Like you, he won re-election last year by double digits in a state that in the past has have been very competitive. He’s increasingly leaning into some hot-button cultural issues, education, racial issues. Do you think that he poses a real threat to Democrats if he ends up being the Republican nominee?”

Whitmer said, “I don’t really know Ron DeSantis, so it’s hard for me to say anything real substantiative, other than I’ll say this – when I took my oath of office, I took an oath to be the governor for all of the people of Michigan. I don’t wage culture wars. I fight culture wars because I’m focused on solving problems. I think it’s incredibly destructive when people just try to pit others against one another, stoke fear. I think that’s a really destructive way to lead. And so that, you know, we’ll watch and see what happens. As I said, I don’t know him.”

Tapper said, “You just described him, in your view.”

Whitmer said, “I think that there are people who are out there that stoke fear and anger and misinformation to help themselves politically. And I’m not saying, you know, who I think falls into that category. I’m just saying, that’s not how I operate. Every governor takes an oath to serve all the people in their state, whether they voted for them or not. That’s what should drive every decision.”

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