Mayor Lightfoot, Gov. Pritzker respond to President Trump's criticism of COVID-19 response
CHICAGO - President Trump took to Twitter on Sunday to criticize Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker after the governor called into question the federal government's response to the COVID-19 outbreak.
In the tweet, President Trump wrote, ".@JBPritzker, Governor of Illinois, and a very small group of certain other Governors, together with Fake News @CNN & Concast (MSDNC), shouldn’t be blaming the Federal Government for their own shortcomings. We are there to back you up should you fail, and always will be!"
In response to the president's tweet, Gov. Pritzker wrote on Twitter, "You wasted precious months when you could've taken action to protect Americans & Illinoisans. You should be leading a national response instead of throwing tantrums from the back seat. Where were the tests when we needed them? Where's the PPE? Get off Twitter & do your job."
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot stepped in to support Gov. Pritzker by also writing on Twitter, ".@realDonaldTrump, dear Lord—please step up and be a leader. While you have been yammering about hoaxes and fake news, the COVID-19 pandemic has hit all over America. @GovPritzker and others have filled this country’s leadership gap. Lead or get out of their way."
The back-and-forth between President Trump, Gov. Pritzker, and Mayor Lightfoot comes after officials announced the total of coronavirus cases in Illinois has reached at least 753. Six people have died.