Governors from both sides of the political aisle have been public in their criticism of President Trump following his ongoing mismanagement of the global pandemic.
The latest state leader to speak out against the President is Maryland Governor Larry Hogan (R). As the President continues to insist there are plenty of virus tests in the U.S., Hogan had to assert that was not true.
Hogan, chair of the National Governor's Association, appeared on NPR's "Morning Edition" where host Rachel Martin remarked:
"President Trump has suggested that the testing problems are over."
The Governor responded:
"Yeah, that's just not true. I know that they've taken some steps to create new tests, but they're not actually produced and distributed out to the states. So it's an aspirational thing."
While he did concede that the Trump administration had several new initiatives "in the works," there was no denying that "no state has enough testing."
While, as a Republican, Hogan isn't trying to benefit politically from criticizing the President, he noted proper distribution of tests is essential to combatting the virus.
"I'm not here to point blame. We're all working to try to get more testing. ... It doesn't matter who's supposed to be doing these things ― we've all got to get together and get them done because it's going to save lives."
"Without the tests we really are flying blind. We're sort of guessing about where the outbreaks are and about what the infection rate and the hospitalization rates are and the mortality rates."
During a conference call with the nation's governors on Monday, Trump reportedly said he had not "heard about testing in weeks," signaling how important this issue is to the President.
Hogan has not shied away from speaking his mind when it comes to President Trump's demeanor, noting that "every single state" is suffering from a shortage of medical supplies like ventilators and masks, and also saying:
"We've been pushing these things at the federal level, but there's simply not enough of them."
Hogan also co-published an op-ed with Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer (D) making the dire situation in her state clear to the President.
As the nation comes together and crosses political aisles to combat the threat of the global pandemic, the only leader who seems out of step is President Trump.
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