On Sunday, White House coronavirus adviser Scott Atlas called for an insurrection against Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) over Michigan’s new COVID-19 safety protocols meant to curb the state’s skyrocketing infection rates.
The remarks by Atlas came in response to the Democratic governor announcing an epidemic order starting Wednesday for at least three weeks. The new Michigan Department of Health and Human Services regulations halt in-person learning for high schools and colleges, indoor dining, theaters, stadiums, organized sports, casinos and group exercise classes.
“The only way this stops is if people rise up,” the Trump adviser tweeted in response to the new regulations. “You get what you accept. #FreedomMatters #StepUp”
The Trump adviser’s comments against the Democratic governor are especially alarming given she was recently the target of a far-right kidnapping plot.
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Atlas, who was appointed in August, had alleged that stay-at-home orders “kill people,” when in fact the orders help protect Americans from the virus, which kills people.
He is a big promoter of herd immunity ― the idea that the virus will only be manageable once more people contract it and develop antibodies ― as a solution to the pandemic. That plan has been widely debunked by the American Public Health Association, the World Health Organization and Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s widely respected top infectious disease expert.
Last month, Twitter removed a tweet from Atlas that falsely said masks don’t help stop the spread of COVID-19. Earlier this month, Atlas called Fauci a “political animal” for saying in October that the country “could not be positioned more poorly” heading into the winter, and then more recently praising Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine ― which was not researched and developed using federal funding from President Donald Trump.
“Well, we know that the White House likes to single us out here in Michigan, me out in particular,”
Whitmer responded to Atla’s comments during an interview on CNN. “I’m not going to be bullied into not following reputable scientists and medical professionals. … I listen to people who have actually studied and are well-respected worldwide on these issues, not the individual that is doing the president’s bidding on this one,” she told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer.
The only way this stops is if people rise up. You get what you accept. #FreedomMatters #StepUp https://t.co/8QKBszgKTM
— Scott W. Atlas (@ScottWAtlas) November 15, 2020
