Lauren Egan ,NBC News•April 17, 2020 WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Friday encouraged an anti-lockdown group that is scheduled to protest in Minnesota against stay-at-home orders to prevent the spread of coronavirus and he appeared to back such efforts in other states.
"LIBERATE MINNESOTA!" Trump tweeted, just a day after he had said at the White House that he was leaving reopening decisions up to the governors.
A group that calls itself "Liberate Minnesota" is expected to hold a protest Friday afternoon outside Democratic Gov. Tim Walz's residence in St. Paul to protest his announcement that he would extend his stay-at-home order to May 4.
"Now is the time to demand Governor Walz and our state legislators end this lock down!" organizers wrote in a Facebook post. "Minnesota's economy must be opened for business or destroying the livelihoods of thousands of Minnesota citizens and their families may result if we don’t act quickly."
The Minnesota protest was scheduled for noon to 3 p.m. ET Friday, however protesters had begun gathering outside the governor's residence as early as Thursday.
Groups opposing stay-at-home orders have popped up in states around the country recently and have become increasingly active, holding demonstrations outside of governors' residences and state capitals, arguing that restrictive stay-at-home measures violate personal liberty.
Many of the demonstrations have had a tea party flare to them, with protesters carrying "Don't Tread on Me" flags and wearing "Make America Great Again" hats. Some have waved Confederate flags.
Trump then tweeted "LIBERATE MICHIGAN" and "LIBERATE VIRGINIA, and save your great 2nd Amendment. It is under siege!"
It was not immediately clear what those tweets were referring to since there do not appear to be groups by those names in Michigan or Virginia and gun rights is a separate issue from the efforts to curtail coronavirus, although Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam last week signed several gun control measures into law. A group named "ReOpen Virginia" held a small demonstration in Richmond on Thursday protesting Northam's stay-at-home orders.
NBC News has asked the White House for clarification about the president's tweets.
Trump's encouragement of groups protesting their state's stay-at-home orders is inconsistent with his announcement Thursday that he would offer guidelines for reopening the country, but would leave specific plans to the governors.
"You're going to call your own shots," Trump said during a videoconference with governors Thursday afternoon in the Situation Room, according to two people listening to the call.
At the White House press briefing on Thursday, Trump did not go so far as to offer his endorsement of the groups.
"They're suffering," Trump said when asked by a reporter what his message was to the protesters who were going against stay-at-home orders and breaking social-distancing guidelines. In Michigan, more than 3,000 people attended a protest on Wednesday.
"They seem to be protesters that like me and respect this opinion, and my opinion is the same as just about all of the governors," the president said. "They all want to open. Nobody wants to stay shut, but they want to open safely."
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