STRAIGHT AHEAD.
>>Priya: THANK YOU, ANDREW.
THIS MORNING WE WOULD LIKE TO
WELCOME GOVERNOR GRETCHEN
WHITMER.
>> Grant: GOVERNOR, THANKS FOR
JOINING US THIS MORNING.
SO FIRST OFF, PRESIDENT TRUMP
SPOKE IN WESTERN MICHIGAN LAST
NIGHT AT THE RALLY THE PRESIDENT
REINFORCED HIS LIBERATE MICHIGAN
MESSAGE.
TAKE A LISTEN.
>> YOU’VE GOT TO GET YOUR
GOVERNOR TO OPEN UP YOUR STATE,
OKAY.
AND GET YOUR SCHOOLS OPEN.
GET YOUR SCHOOLS OPEN.
THE SCHOOLS HAVE TO BE OPEN, RIGHT?
[CHEERING]
[CHANTING VOTE HER OUT]
>>Priya: GOVERNOR WHITMER, IT
FEELS LIKE TENSIONS HAVE BEEN
RISING THE CLOSER TO ELECTION.
DO YOU FEEL THERE IS A GREATER
RISK FOR VIOLENCE IN MICHIGAN
WHEN THE RESULTS ARE ANNOUNCED?
>> WELL, I’M CONDITIONED ABOUT
INCITING VIOLENT BEHAVIOR.
THIS IS PART OF THE PROBLEM.
LESS THAN TEN DAYS AGO CHARGES
WERE ANNOUNCED AROUND A PLOT TO
KIDNAP AND POSSIBLY MURDER ME.
EVERY TIME THE PRESIDENT DOES
SOMETHING LIKE THIS WE SEE MORE
DEATH THREATS.
THIS IS ENDANGERING THE LIVES OF
PUBLIC SERVANTS ALL ACROSS THE
STATE WHO ARE JUST TRYING TO
SAVE THEIR FELLOW AMERICANS
LIVES.
EVERY WE MINUTE WE ARE TALKING
ABOUT THIS AND NOT FOCUSED ON
THE 220,000 AMERICANS WHO HAVE
DIED BECAUSE THE TRUMP VIRUS
RESPONSE HAS BEEN SUCH A FAILURE
IT IS GOOD FOR THE PRESIDENT.
I’M NOT GOING TO STAY FOCUSED ON
THAT BUT FOCUS ON WHAT HE HASN’T
DONE AND THAT’S HIS JOB.
WE HAVE AMERICANS AT FOOD
PANTRIES.
WE HAVE TENS OF MILLIONS OUT OF WORK.
WE HAVE LOST 220,000 PEOPLE,
THAT’S 73 9-11s.
THIS VIRUS IS OUT OF CONTROL.
WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO CHANGE
LEADERSHIP IN THIS COUNTRY AND
THAT’S WHY I WANT TO ENCOURAGE
MY FELLOW MICHIGANERS TOPHET
NOW.
YOU HAVE THE ABILITY TO GO TO
THE CLERK’S OFFICE AND VOTE NOW.
IT IS IMPORTANT TO SAY WE NEED
LEADERSHIP IN WASHINGTON, D. C.
THAT ISN’T GOING TO SEEK TO
VIVID AND INCITE US BUT BRING US
TOGETHER, GET OUR ARMS AROUND
THIS COVID VIRUS THAT RAVAGING
US AND BRING OUR ECONOMY BACK.
>> Grant: I WANT TO STAY ON
THE TERROR PLOT FOR A MINUTE.
WE ARE GLAD YOU AND YOUR FAMILY
ARE SAFE.
YOU MENTIONED YOU DON’T THINK
THE THREAT IS OVER.
DO YOU KNOW OF OTHER
INVESTIGATIONS INTO TERROR
GROUPS RIGHT NOW?
>> I DON’T AND PROBABLY WOULDN’T
BE ABLE TO SHARE IT.
I AM FOCUSED ON DOING MY JOB AND
GRATEFUL FOR THE ATTORNEY
GENERAL AND FBI AND MICHIGAN
STATE POLICE.
THAT IS LAW ENFORCEMENT.
THEY HAVE DONE THEIR JOBS AND
PUT THEMSELVES ON THE LINE TO
PROTECT ME AND MY FAMILY AND
ETERNALLY GRATEFUL AND CONFIDENT
IN THEIR ABILITY AND THAT’S WHAT
GIVES ME THE ABILITY TO KEEP MY
ENERGY FOCUSED DOING WHAT WE CAN
TO PROTECT PEOPLE AND KEEP OUR
ECONOMY ENGAININGED.
>>Priya: AND GOVERNOR, A
MICHIGAN COURT OVERTURNED AN
EXTENSION THAT ASLEWED ABSENTEE
BALLOTS AFTER ELECTION DAY.
HOW DO YOU RESPOND TO THAT?
>> I THINK IT IS SAD THAT A
POLITICAL PARTY WOULD MAKE
STATEMENTS TO HURT PEOPLE’S
ABILITY TO VOTE.
I JUST -- THAT’S NOT HOW IT
SHOULD BE.
EVERY ONE OF US SHOULD RECOGNIZE
THAT OUR DUTY AS AMERICANS IS TO
ENSURE THAT THE ELECTORATE CAN
HAVE CONFIDENCE IN THE VOTE AND
CAST THE VOTE WITHOUT UNDUE
IMPEDIMENTS.
WE WILL FIGURE OUT HOW TO MAKE
SURE EVERY VOTE GET COUNTIED.
THE SECRETARY OF STATE AND
ATTORNEY GENERAL ARE WORKING
INCREDIBLY HEART TO KEEP PEOPLE
SAFE AT THE POLLS AND GET EVERY
VOTE COUNTED.
THIS DECISION WILL IMPACT SOME
VOTES BUT NOT MANY.
IT IS IMPORTANT TO VOTE NOW AND
GET BALLOTS TURNED IN RIGHT NOW.
>> Grant: GOVERNOR, GIVEN THE
COURT RULING THAT STRIPPED YOU
OF SOME EMERGENCY POWERS, WHAT
IS THE PATH FORWARD TO STOP THE
SPIKE IN THE NEW VIRUS.
OUR VIEWERS ARE SEEING THE
MOVING AVERAGE TREND OVER A WEEK
HERE AND THE HIGHEST IT HAS BEEN
SINCE APRIL.
TO THAT END GIVEN THE RHETORIC
WE HAVE HEARD FROM THE
LEGISLATURE IS THERE ANY
GOODWILL LEFT TO WORK WITH
LEGISLATIVE LEADERS?
>> IT IS DIFFICULT TO PREDICT
HOW THAT WILL STAND OUT.
WHEN THEY STAND ON THE STAGE
LIKE LAST NIGHT IN MUSKEGON WITH
THE CHANTS LIKE WHAT YOU HEARD
ON THE CLIP YOU PLAYED IT IS
CREATING A VERY DANGEROUS
ENVIRONMENT.
BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY WE HAVE TO
MOVE FORWARD AND PROTECT ALL OF
US IN MICHIGAN WHETHER
DEMOCRATIC OR REPUBLICAN.
MY JOB IS TO DO EVERYTHING IN MY
POWER TO PROTECT YOU FROM THE
SPREAD OF THIS VIRUS.
THIS VIRUS IS ACROSS THE STATE
AND GROWING.
THE SCIENTISTS HAVE BEEN TELLING
US THE FALL WOULD BE THE MOST
CHALLENGING TIME.
THE COURT RULING CREATED A LOT
OF CONFUSION BUT I WANT YOUR
VIEWERS TO KNOW WE STILL HAVE A
MASK MANDATE IN MICHIGAN AND A
PROHIBITION AND GATHERINGS IN
MICHIGAN.
WE MOW WHAT IT WILL TAKE TO STAY
SAFE LIKE WEARING A MASK AND
PHYSICAL DISTANCING ON WASHING
OUR HANDS.
THE MORE OF US THAT DO THAT THE
LESS LIKELY WE WILL SEE THE
SPIKE GROW UNCONTROLLED AND HAVE
TO CLOSE OUR ECONOMY DOWN AGAIN
AND THAT’S WHAT WE WANT TO
AVOID.
IF YOU ARE MAD ABOUT WEARING A
MASK OR MAD YOUR KIDS AREN’T IN
SCHOOL FULL-TIME OR SAD YOU ARE
NOT AT CHURCH RIGHT NOW OR ABLE
TO WATCH COLLEGE FOOTBALL I
THINK YOU NEED TO VOTE FOR JOE
BIDEN SO WE CAN HAVE A NATIONAL
STRATEGY AROUND THIS VIRUS AND
GET THE ECONOMY ENGAGED.
>>Priya: CONSIDERING THE
RHETORIC FROM THE LEGISLATURE,
HOW OPTIMISTIC ARE YOU THAT WE
CAN HAVE SOME GOODWILL MOVING
FORWARD?
>> WELL, I AM ALWAYS OPTIMISTIC.
I AM ETERNALLY OPTIMISTIC BUT
ALSO PRAGMATIC.
I WILL USE EVERY TOO MANY AT MY
DISPOSABLE TO KEEP PEOPLE SAFE
AND FIND COMMON GROUND PEOPLE OF
GOODWILL WHO WANT TO DO THAT.
I HAVE BEEN QUALLING ON QUADRANT
MEETINGS SINCE I TOOK OFFICE.
OUR STAFF AT THE STAFF LEVEL
HAVE BEEN WORKING THROUGH A LOT
OF THINGS TOGETHER BUT WHEN
LEADERS SHOW UP ON STAGES OR
MEET WITH GROUPS THAT ARE
DOMESTIC TERRORISTS, IT CREATES
A SITUATION THAT IS VERY
DANGEROUS, NOT JUST FOR ME AND
MY FAMILY BUT FOR ALL OF US AND
WE NEED PEOPLE OF GOODWILL ON
BOTH SIDES OF THE AISLE TO BRING
THE HEAT DOWN.
IT IS DANGEROUS.
THAT RALLY LAST NIGHT IS JUST
ONE MORE EXAMPLE OF HOW THE
RHETORIC HAS GOTTEN OUT OF
CONTROL IN OUR COUNTRY AND WE
HAVE GOT TO GET BACK TO A PLACE
WHERE WE CAN TALK TO ONE
ANOTHER, FIND COMMON GROUND AND
SOLVE PROBLEMS TOGETHER.
>> Grant: THANK YOU THANK YOU FO