CNN "Erin Burnett Outfront" - Transcript: Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI) Discusses About President Trump Telling Them to Get Ventilators And Respirators Themselves

Interview

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BURNETT: All right. Thank you very much, Kaitlan. And I want to go now to the Democratic Governor of Michigan, Gretchen Whitmer. And Governor, I appreciate your time.

So on this issue of ventilators and respirators, obviously, is crucial for you and other governors. So the President says today if you're able to get them, try getting at yourself. He's saying the reason is it would be longer to go through the federal government. Is that true, as you understand it or is there something the federal government could do that would help you dramatically?

GOVERNOR GRETCHEN WHITMER (D-MI): Well, I mean, it's amazing to hear the head of the federal government say don't go through the federal government, because it works too slowly. We have to cut red tape. We have to harness all of our assets and make this happen. This is a dire situation, because I think this administration didn't take it seriously enough on the front end, he talked about hoaxes and they've used hyperbole and half truths, and now everyone is skeptical about what the truth really is and yet we know on the frontline, we Governors know, Republican and Democrat that we've got to step up and show the leadership in this country.

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I think when I issue executive orders around crowd size or around extending unemployment benefits or around closing bars and making restaurants carry out only it's because there's not that leadership at the federal level. And we're worried because we need personal protection equipment, we need respirators and ventilators. We need to expand our health care facilities that are going to get overrun because people are legitimately concerned about their health and they've had a real leadership coming until we governors have stepped in.

And so, I think, yes, I am concerned about it. We are pulling out all the staff. We're calling in as many Michigan companies that could partner with us in this space, but it is important that the federal government gets their act together and does so post haste.

BURNETT: So today, you reference this, but you announced you were closing all public places, restaurants, bars and gyms. And of course, Governor, you, like governors around this country, are asking of your citizens that they make dramatic changes in their lives and dramatic sacrifices in their lives to protect everyone in your community.

For every day that this social isolation and this dramatic economic slowdown buys you, what are you able to add when you talk about what you need in terms of respirators, in terms of hospital capacity? Every day that the public complies, what are you able to add to save lives?

WHITMER Well, I think as we look at Italy and you were talking about it earlier, and we don't want to emulate Italy. We want to flatten the curve and that means taking aggressive action now so that our healthcare system doesn't get overwhelmed, so that these precious ventilators and respirators that are too few to meet the projected need are able to save lives.

And I think that by taking these aggressive actions, I've worked very closely with my counterparts in other states on both sides of the aisle to make sure that we're making judgments based on the best science and the facts, not out of fear, but out of pragmatism about trying to flatten this curve and save lives and make sure that our economy while we're going to struggle, that there is a shorter timeline for that struggle.

And so, all of these actions, everyone doing their part by washing their hands and practicing social distancing, is - contributes toward us flattening that curve and that's what it's really all about. And so when we ask people to make these sacrifices, trust me, it weighs heavily on all of us. But we know that for the sake of our public health, we've got to be aggressive and right now, these are the measures that all of the medical experts are telling me can help make a difference.

BURNETT: So before we go, Governor, Vice President Joe Biden, as you know, committed to picking a woman as his vice president at CNN's debate last night and you've been obviously incredibly involved with the campaign. You said today that it's not going to be you, why?

WHITMER Well, I am 14 months into my job as the Governor of Michigan. As this crisis shows, there's so much going on. I am grateful to be here. I think that there are plenty of phenomenal potential running mates for Vice President Biden as he runs for president and I'm grateful to be a co-chair of the campaign and I will help him vet to make sure he's got a phenomenal running mate and someone who can step in, if god forbid, that was necessary.

BURNETT: All right. Well, I appreciate your time, Governor Whitmer. Thank you very much tonight.

GOUNDER: Thank you.

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