Trump Attacks ‘Small Group’ of Governors and Media After Illinois Gov. Calls Out Federal Coronavirus Response

Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker is the latest target of a Twitter missive from President Donald Trump, after saying on TV the federal government needs to “step up” in helping states dealing with coronavirus.

Pritzker told Jake Tapper it’s “better” now, crediting FEMA in particular and saying they’re receiving another PPE shipment, but added it’s still a “fraction” of what they need.

“So we’re out on the open market competing for these items that we so badly need and we’re succeeding in same ways, but we still need more,” Pritzker said.

Tapper found it remarkable that governors would be competing to get necessary materials they all need. Pritzker said, “This should have been a coordinated effort by the federal government… We’re competing against each other, we’re competing against other countries, it’s a wild west, I would say, out there.”

Clearly the president was watching, because this afternoon on Twitter he attacked Pritzker, “a very small group of certain other Governors” and the media, saying they’re “blaming the Federal Government for their own shortcomings.”

.@JBPritzker, Governor of Illinois, and a very small group of certain other Governors, together with Fake News @CNN & Concast (MSDNC), shouldn’t be blaming the Federal Government for their own shortcomings. We are there to back you up should you fail, and always will be!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 22, 2020

“We are there to back you up should you fail, and always will be!” the president added.

Roughly an hour earlier the president was on Twitter saying he’s “working very well” with governors:

Working very well with States and our Nation’s Governors. #TEAMWORK

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 22, 2020

You can watch Pritzker above, via CNN.