Trump asks Michigan governor to cut deal with 'very good' protesters
Washington: A day after armed demonstrators entered Michigan's state parliament, US President Donald Trump urged the state's governor to cut a deal with anti-lockdown protesters, describing them as "very good people".
Hundreds of protesters, some of them carrying rifles, gathered in Lansing, the Michigan state capitol, on Thursday (Friday AEST) to demand an end to Governor Gretchen Whitmer's coronavirus stay-at-home order.
An armed protester wearing a mask stands at the Michigan Capitol Building in Lansing, Michigan.Credit:Bloomberg
"The governor of Michigan should give a little, and put out the fire," Trump said on Twitter on Friday (Saturday AEST).
"These are very good people, but they are angry. They want their lives back again, safely! See them, talk to them, make a deal."
It is legal to carry firearms inside the Michigan statehouse, but some protesters were blocked by the sergeants-at-arms from entering the floor of the chamber.
Protesters crammed into the hallway and stairwell, chanting "Lock her up!" and "Let us in!"
"Yeah, there's a virus, but it's more of a politician problem that it's gotten this far," Tim Rugg, one of the protesters, told Michigan Radio. "There's no reason for us to be locked down. She's trashing our state."
Some state legislators wore bullet-proof vests into the chamber to conduct parliamentary business, as the armed protesters heckled them from above.
Unlike other US governors who have moved quickly to relax restrictions in their states, Whitmer has said she will keep her stay-at-home order in place until at least May 15.
This week she extended the state's state of emergency to May 28. Michigan has been one of the states hardest hit by the coronavirus, with 3788 deaths. Detroit, its biggest city, has been worst affected with more than 1000 deaths.
"We remain in a state of emergency - that is a fact,” Whitmer said during a virtual town hall event.
"For anyone to declare mission accomplished means they’re turning a blind eye to the fact that over 600 people have died in the last 72 hours."
Despite ongoing protests across the country, polls consistently show that the vast majority of Americans support the continuation of physical distancing measures.
A Morning Consult poll this week found 73 per cent of respondents were in favour of continued physical distancing, while just 15 per cent said that it should be ended to help re-start the country's economy.
In her first White House briefing, Trump's new press secretary Kayleigh McEnany defended the President's tweet, saying he was supporting Americans' right to protest.
"You have a right to do that, constitutionally, but you must protest within the bounds of the law," she said. "He encourages everyone to protest lawfully and also to engage in our social distancing guidelines, which we think all Americans should engage in."
In April Trump encouraged anti-lockdown protesters by tweeting "LIBERATE MICHIGAN!" and "LIBERATE MINNESOTA!" after segments of the protests aired on Fox News.