        
Tweet

Email

Print
Share

Thursday, November 5, 2020

Whitmer lambastes Trump's spurious rhetoric after his supporters stormed TCF Center in Detroit

Posted By Steve Neavling on Thu, Nov 5, 2020 at 12:58 PM

click to enlarge

President Donald Trump supporter at TCF Center in Detroit. - STEVE NEAVLING

Steve Neavling
President Donald Trump supporter at TCF Center in Detroit.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer slammed President Donald Trump’s bogus election rhetoric as “un-American” after his supporters stormed into the TCF Center in Detroit on Wednesday and demanded the city stop counting the votes.

Whitmer said Trump’s false claims of election fraud in Michigan and a handful of other states threaten to deepen the divide in the country.

“There is no question that efforts to undermine the integrity of and the competence of the election will have ramifications long past when the final numbers are in,” Whitmer said on CNN on Thursday. “I think it’s something that is anti-American.”

As Detroit election workers were counting ballots at the TCF Center on Wednesday, Trump supporters chanting “stop the vote” marched into the building, pounding on glass windows.

WATCH: Trump supporters got into Detroit’s TCF Center through a back entrance and streamed into the building. Protesters tell @gablova that they believe something wrong is happening and the ballot counting must be stopped #Election2020 https://t.co/xDtoh1Fb7T pic.twitter.com/NfgeiCLhfd
— Bloomberg QuickTake (@QuickTake) November 5, 2020

Police escorted the Trump supporters outside the center, where they stood for several hours as the sky darkened, with some singing and evoking god.

Outside the TCF Center in Detroit, where a protester is yelling something about god and Gov. Whitmer. pic.twitter.com/O9aNK6DVm2
— Motor City Muckraker (@MCmuckraker) November 4, 2020

“We don’t just stop (the count) because it’s convenient or because one person has an agenda,” Whitmer said. “The most important thing in an American election is that we decide our differences at the polls and we have a peaceful transfer of power, and it is the will of the people that decide the outcome of our elections, not a candidate, not a political party and not protests.”

Counter-protesters also gathered outside the building, chanting, "Count every vote."

With 99% of the votes counted Wednesday evening, Biden was declared the winner of Michigan, where he led 50.6% to 47.9%.

Whitmer said Biden called her Wednesday and spoke about the need to unify the country.

“He is focused on how do we heal this nation, how do we bring people together, how do we build bridges and start the common ground that has been so severely lacking these last few years,” Whitmer said.

She added, “We need a leader who can bring us together.”

Stay on top of Detroit news and views. Sign up for our weekly issue newsletter delivered each Wednesday.

Tags: President Trump, Gov. Whitmer, Joe Biden, Michigan, Detroit, absentee ballots, voting, election, CNN, Image

We welcome readers to submit letters regarding articles and content in Detroit Metro Times. Letters should be a minimum of 150 words, refer to content that has appeared on Detroit Metro Times, and must include the writer's full name, address, and phone number for verification purposes. No attachments will be considered. Writers of letters selected for publication will be notified via email. Letters may be edited and shortened for space.

Email us at letters@metrotimes.com.

Detroit Metro Times works for you, and your support is essential.

Our small but mighty local team works tirelessly to bring you high-quality, uncensored news and cultural coverage of Detroit and beyond.

Unlike many newspapers, ours is free – and we'd like to keep it that way, because we believe, now more than ever, everyone deserves access to accurate, independent coverage of their community.

Whether it's a one-time acknowledgement of this article or an ongoing pledge, your support helps keep Detroit's true free press free.