Michigan lawmakers on both sides of the aisle condemned President Donald Trump after he made a jaw-dropping remark during a rally Wednesday in Michigan suggesting late Rep. John Dingell (D-MI) is in hell.
Rep. Paul Mitchell (R-MI) demanded Trump apologize to Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI), Dingell’s widow, for the shocking attack.
“John Dingell was a well-respected man & I consider Debbie a close colleague and friend,” Mitchell tweeted. “To use his name in such a dishonorable manner at last night’s rally is unacceptable from anyone, let alone the President of the United States. An apology is due, Mr. President.”
His fellow Republican colleague, Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI), issued a more gentle objection to Trump’s comment without mentioning the President by name.
“I’ve always looked up to John Dingell – my good friend and a great Michigan legend. There was no need to ‘dis’ him in a crass political way,” he tweeted. “Most unfortunate and an apology is due.”
Rep. Justin Amash (I-MI), a vocal Trump critic who left the GOP over the party’s loyalty to the President, told Debbie Dingell on Twitter, “Debbie, we are here for you. So many people loved and respected John.”
Michigan Democrats quickly came to the Dingells’ defense while vociferously scorching Trump.
“@RepDebDingell, this President will never be the man that Congressman @JohnDingell was to our country,” Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) tweeted, also writing that Debbie Dingell “is twice the man @realDonaldTrump will ever be.”
“Mr. President, shame on you,” Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) tweeted. “Going after Rep. John Dingell, a WWII vet and devoted public servant who spent his life fighting for Michiganders, demeans you and your office.”
Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI) called on Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel, who grew up and resides in Michigan, to disavow Trump’s comment.
“Your silence as a Michigander is deafening, Ronna,” she tweeted.
Both of Michigan’s U.S. senators hit Trump, with Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) declaring that to disrespect the Dingells “is to disrespect the state of Michigan.”
Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) told MSNBC “Morning Joe” host Mika Brzezinski that Trump’s comment was “mean,” “cruel,” and “disgusting.”
“And for people in Michigan who loved, respected, honored John Dingell, it is, you know, it’s something that people will remember,” the Democratic senator added.
Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) slams Trump’s “mean, cruel, disgusting” comment about John Dingell. pic.twitter.com/2Ds46e4AAV
— TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) December 19, 2019
They very well might, considering how loudly Trump’s rally crowd in Battle Creek, Michigan, groaned after Trump suggested the deceased lawmaker is “looking up.” The audible disapproval from Trump’s own supporters demonstrated that the President’s attack on the crucial swing state’s renowned congressman had backfired spectacularly.
