Speaking on “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah,” Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan sought to strike a middle ground on his recent spat with President Trump over the state acquiring tests from South Korea, saying he doesn’t try to criticize the president “for no reason.”
Mr. Noah asked Mr. Hogan, a Republican, about his past criticism of Mr. Trump. Mr. Hogan said the federal government has accomplished things in partnership with the states, but as chair of the nonpartisan National Governors Association, he feels it’s his job to speak up on states’ behalf.
“I don’t think in the middle of this pandemic, I think it’s so critically important that we all try to work together at the federal, state and local level because the real enemy is the virus,” the governor said. “And I think there will be plenty of time later to go back and take a look at what we could have done or should have done better. So I’m not trying to be critical of the president or the administration. They have been working together and getting things done with us.”
However, Mr. Hogan said, he has stood up when he’s felt the federal government has fallen short or failed to help the states.
“We’ve expressed our frustration on the lack of availability of testing and personal protective equipment and a number of other issues,” he said. “I think they’re making some strides and they have been doing a good job of communicating with the governors and trying to address our needs. We’ve butted heads a few times, but I haven’t tried to go out and — I’m not one of those folks that’s just out criticizing the president for no reason. I’m just pushing to try to get the help we need in our states.”
Mr. Hogan said Mr. Trump asked states to head up their own testing efforts.
“Now I’m not sure I agree with that, I think maybe the federal government could have done more, but we had no choice,” he said. “We were put in the position where governors were scraping and clawing and trying to get tests all over the country from various providers, and all over the world.”
Mr. Hogan and Maryland’s First Lady, Yumi Hogan, secured 500,000 coronavirus testing kits in a deal with South Korea, which drew the president’s attention last week.
“The governor of Maryland could have called Mike Pence, could have saved a lot of money,” Mr. Trump said at April 20’s White House coronavirus task force briefing, adding Mr. Hogan “didn’t understand” a list of labs where governors could find more testing capacity.
The governor responded that night with a seemingly sarcastic tweet that drew more than 19,000 retweets:
“I’m grateful to President Trump for sending us a list of federal labs and generously offering Maryland use of them for #COVID19 testing. Accessing these federal labs will be critical for utilizing the 500,000 tests we have acquired from South Korea.”
I’m grateful to President Trump for sending us a list of federal labs and generously offering Maryland use of them for #COVID19 testing. Accessing these federal labs will be critical for utilizing the 500,000 tests we have acquired from South Korea.
— Governor Larry Hogan (@GovLarryHogan) April 21, 2020
• Adam Zielonka can be reached at azielonka@washingtontimes.com.
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