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Thursday, Apr. 22, 2021

Did Michigan’s governor travel to Florida in March?

Jacob Alabab-Moser, Gigafact Foundry
yes

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer disclosed that she made a two-day trip to Florida sometime in March, provoking more criticism of her leadership.

In an April 20 Washington Post interview, Whitmer said she made the trip to visit her father, who suffers from a chronic illness. She noted that the trip was the third she has taken since the pandemic began. The others were to visit National Guard troops following the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol and to the presidential inauguration.

A spokesperson for Whitmer said that the Florida trip occurred “when Michigan’s daily positivity rate was in the low single digits” and that she followed all health guidelines. Republican critics accused the governor of taking a “tropical vacation,” showing “rampant hypocrisy” given official warnings against unnecessary travel as the state recorded levels of coronavirus infections in recent weeks.

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