"Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) imposed some of the most aggressive coronavirus orders of any governor on her residents as cases began surging last year, but in 2021, the Democrat governor repeatedly failed to follow her own guidance.
... Not until June 2021, more than a full year after her initial orders, did Whitmer rescind her remaining capacity and mask mandates.
... The sacrifices Whitmer forced Michiganders to make did not result in her state controlling virus cases relative to other states.
One side of the “bind” she faced came in the form of public pressure from protests, small businesses publicly bucking orders, and headlines continuously highlighting Whitmer’s inability to follow her own rules.
Five moments prompting backlash against Whitmer that relate to coronavirus are below.
1. Attending President Joe Biden’s inauguration
— Whitmer ... left her state and attended the January 20 event in Washington, DC, with roughly 2,000 other people ... The event did not align with Whitmer’s orders she had in place in her own state in which she prohibited average Americans from attending outdoor events with more than 25 people, regardless of distancing or masking. ...
2. The Florida private jet scandal
— An unvaccinated Whitmer quietly flew to Florida in early March and, less than one month later, urged spring breakers to avoid travel to Florida specifically. Whitmer eventually admitted to the trip in April, saying she left the state to tend to her father’s health needs and that she worked as governor remotely while there. The mysterious trip, however, prompted a range of questions ... about the suspicious source of funds for the trip, the true necessity of the visit, and the reason she continued working as governor, which may have conflicted with the Michigan Constitution.
3. Whitmer aides going on out-of-state vacations
— In April, both Whitmer COO Tricia Foster and Department of Health and Human Services Director Elizabeth Hertel traveled out of state to Florida and Alabama, respectively, in violation of their administration’s guidance. While no hard travel ban was in place at the time, just before her Alabama trip, Hertel’s department issued an advisory recommending Michiganders do not travel unless it was “unavoidable” and to not travel at all if they were not fully vaccinated. Hertel was not fully vaccinated at the time of her trip.
4. Violating Michigan’s restaurant capacity order
— In a since-deleted Facebook photo first obtained by Breitbart News, Whitmer was seen smiling with 12 other people, including Foster, at a table at the Landshark bar in East Lansing in May. At that time, Whitmer had limited food service establishments to a maximum of six people per table. ...
5. Bucking the mask mandate at a bar in D.C.
— Whitmer flew to D.C. at the end of October to meet with “key-decision makers” about “Michigan priorities” and had also planned to door-knock for Virginia Democrat gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe while there. After Whitmer canceled her McAuliffe plans last minute, however, a photo surfaced of Whitmer mingling maskless the night before the canceled event at the posh Vue bar, in violation of Mayor Muriel Bowser’s (D) mask mandate. ...
Recent photo of Governor Witless:
