I’m sure you remember this scene from “A Few Good Men”
Remind you of anything?
THE PRESIDENT: We’ve had great success over the last month. We’ve — as you know, the millions and millions of pieces of equipment have been delivered successfully by us — purchased and delivered. And we’ve made it available to the states. And the governors have been very gracious for the most part, I would say. There are a couple that aren’t appreciative of the incredible job. They have to do a better job themselves; that’s part of the problem.
Q But you also — you also said that some of the governors are not appreciative of what the federal government has done. And you’ve suggested that some of these governors are not doing everything they need to do, like that these governors are at fault. Can you be specific? What more, in this time of a national emergency, should these governors be doing?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, I think we’ve done a great job for the state of Washington. And I think the governor, who’s a failed presidential candidate, as you know — he — he leveled out at zero in the polls. He’s constantly chirping and — I guess “complaining” would be a nice way of saying it. We’re building hospitals. We’ve done a great job for the state of Washington.
Michigan, all she does is — she has no idea what’s going on. And all she does is say, “Oh, it’s the federal government’s fault.” And we’ve taken such great care of Michigan. You know the care we’ve taken of New Jersey. I think if you ask, Governor Murphy of New Jersey, “How are we doing?” I think he’d say, “Great.” I think. He’s a Democrat.
Governor Cuomo has really said we’re really doing a great job. And I saw the news conference where he was thanking the people from FEMA, the people from Army Corps of Engineers this morning. I mean, they built a hospital like in three and a half days and it’s a big hospital in the Javits Center, and they’re building medical facilities in different parts of New York. And Governor Cuomo has been appreciative.
But, you know, a couple of people aren’t. We have done a hell of a job; the federal government has really stepped up.
Q So what I’m asking is: What more, specifically, do you want the governor of Washington and the governor of Michigan to be doing?
THE PRESIDENT: All I want them to do — very simple — I want them to be appreciative. I don’t want them to say things that aren’t true. I want them to be appreciative. We’ve done a great job. And I’m not talking about me. I’m talking about Mike Pence, the task force; I’m talking about FEMA, the Army Corps of Engineers.
[T]he media has been pretty good and the governors have been really good, except for a couple. And with them, it’s just political: “How’s Trump doing?” “Oh well, I don’t know, you know. Let’s blame…”
Q But it’s the words they’re saying. It’s not —
THE PRESIDENT: Because we have done — we have done a job, the likes of which nobody has seen.
Q So it’s the words they’re saying that you’re concerned about? It’s not that they’re —
THE PRESIDENT: I think they should be appreciative because you know what? When they’re not appreciative to me, they’re not appreciative to the Army Corps. They’re not appreciative to FEMA. It’s not right. These people are incredible. They’re working 24 hours a day. Mike Pence — I mean, Mike Pence, I don’t think he sleeps anymore. These — these are people that should be appreciated.
He calls all the governors. I tell him — I mean, I’m a different type of person — I say, “Mike, don’t call the governor of Washington. You’re wasting your time with him. Don’t call the woman in Michigan.” All — it doesn’t make any difference what happens —
Q You don’t want him to call the governor of Washington?
THE PRESIDENT: No, no. You know what I say? If they don’t treat you right, I don’t call. He’s a different type of person. He’ll call quietly anyway. Okay? But he’s done a great job. He should be appreciated for the job he’s done.
This is the president of the United States in the middle of an unprecedented crisis demanding that Governors kiss his ass publicly and say he’s doing a great job or he will allow their constituents to die.
Here he is last night after the press conference:
That’s who we’re dealing with. A juvenile sociopath who first called the Governor of Michigan “that young woman” and is now calling her “Half” Whitmer. In the middle of a life and death emergency.
However, I would just remind everyone that he’s not exactly the first to do this sort of thing, he’s just more crude and sophomoric about it. During Katrina, the Bush administration blamed the Governor of Louisiana and the Mayor of New Orleans for their own inept response. It didn’t work for them. I hope it doesn’t work for Trump but he has a true cult of personality and I’m not sure it won’t.
But that doesn’t make it any less depraved. The behavior he engages in every day is so much more destructive at a time like this. He’s playing politics on a schoolyard level, selling snake oil and false hope and his chaotic, incompetent administration is making everything so much worse. We are the country that is handling this crisis the worst of all first world countries, by far.