Illinois governor fires back at Trump over coronavirus: ‘Get off Twitter & do your job’

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) hit back at President Trump after the president attacked him and other governors who have criticized the federal response to coronavirus Sunday.

‘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,” Pritzker tweeted Sunday. “Where were the tests when we needed them? Where’s the PPE [personal protective equipment]? Get off Twitter & do your job.”

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. https://t.co/WESJITCAwg

— Governor JB Pritzker (@GovPritzker) March 22, 2020

Earlier in the day, Trump tweeted that Pritzker 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” after Pritzker told CNN’s Jake Tapper that an inadequate federal response had forced states affected by the virus to compete for resources, telling Tapper it “should have been a coordinated effort by the federal government.”

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot (D) also blasted the tweet, telling Trump to “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,” Lightfoot added.

.@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. https://t.co/36yxpiPS5s

— Mayor Lori Lightfoot (@chicagosmayor) March 22, 2020