Trump Says He’s ‘Moved Our Best People’ to Michigan for Flood Response

President Donald Trump left the White House for Michigan on Thursday as he clashed with state officials from the electoral battleground over federal aid, mail-in ballots and face masks. Trump was heading to a Ford Motor plant that had been repurposed to manufacture ventilators for the COVID-19 epidemic. But his arrival comes amid a long-running feud with the state's Democratic governor and a day after the president threatened to withhold federal funds over the state's expanded vote-by-mail effort. And there was also the question of whether the president would wear a face covering, an issue that now comes with a warning from the state's top law enforcement officer that a refusal to do so may lead to a ban on Trump's return. Ford said everyone in its factories must wear personal protective equipment, including masks, and that its policy has been communicated to the White House. Asked as he departed if he planned to wear a face mask at the plant. Trump wouldn't commit, saying only, "I don't know, we're going to look at it. A lot of people have asked me that question. I want to get our country back to normal. I want to normalize." Regarding his dispute with Michigan over mail in ballots, Trump said he's opposed to them because "it's going to lead to total election fraud." But he allowed for some exceptions, including for himself. "Now, if somebody has to mail it in because they're sick, or by the way because they live in the White House and they have to vote in Florida and they won't be in Florida. But there's a reason for it, that's OK," he said. On Wednesday, Trump threatened to withhold federal funds from Michigan after its secretary of state mailed absentee ballot applications to millions of voters. The president also told reporters he has one day left in his hydroxychloroquine regimen, which he says he's been taking for about two weeks. And he said he hopes to to the Kennedy Space Center next week for the SpaceX launch. He joked with reporters that he'd like to stick them on the rocket. "I'dlike to put you on the rocket and get rid of you for a while," he said as he walked away to board Marine One. Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2TwO8Gm QUICKTAKE ON SOCIAL: Follow QuickTake on Twitter: twitter.com/quicktake Like QuickTake on Facebook: facebook.com/quicktake Follow QuickTake on Instagram: instagram.com/quicktake Subscribe to our newsletter: https://bit.ly/2FJ0oQZ Email us at [email protected] QuickTake by Bloomberg is a global news network delivering up-to-the-minute analysis on the biggest news, trends and ideas for a new generation of leaders.