Trump Calls Washington Gov. Jay Inslee ‘A Snake’ Due To Coronavirus Criticism

President Donald Trump called Washington Gov. Jay Inslee “a snake” for criticizing his response to the coronavirus outbreak, and cautioning the president to stick to science.

Washington was one of the earliest states to report cases of coronavirus. Currently, the state has reported 137 cases and 19 deaths — significantly higher than any other state.

Inslee tweeted at the end of February that he received a call from Vice President Mike Pence, who was designated by Trump to coordinate the administration’s response to the virus.

“I just received a called from VP Mike Pence, thanking Washington state for our efforts to combat the coronavirus,” Inslee tweeted. “I told him our work would be more successful if the Trump administration stuck to the science and told the truth.”

I just received a call from @VP Mike Pence, thanking Washington state for our efforts to combat the coronavirus.

I told him our work would be more successful if the Trump administration stuck to the science and told the truth.

— Jay Inslee (@JayInslee) February 28, 2020 

Inslee’s tweet apparently upset Trump, as he went off on the governor while speaking at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta on Friday.

“I told Mike not to be complimentary of that governor because that governor is a snake,” Trump said, referring to Pence. “So Mike may be happy with him but I’m not, OK?”

He continued, “If we came up with a cure today, and tomorrow everything is gone, and you went up to this governor — who is, you know, not a good governor, by the way — if you went up to this governor, and you said to him, ‘How did Trump do?’ He would say, ‘He did a terrible job.’ It makes no difference.”

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Trump has been criticized for his response to the virus, including dismissing concerns of severity and for calling it “a hoax.”