Maryland Governor Larry Hogan’s response to Donald Trump’s criticism of his state’s initial response to coronavirus went viral on November 22.
The president tweeted, “Report: Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, Anti-Trump Hero, Paid for Flawed Coronavirus Tests from South Korea via @BreitbartNews. This RINO will never make the grade. Hogan is just as bad as the flawed tests he paid big money for!”
The Republican governor tweeted in response, “If you had done your job, America’s governors wouldn’t have been forced to fend for themselves to find tests in the middle of a pandemic, as we successfully did in Maryland. Stop golfing and concede.”
Hogan’s response was championed by numerous people on Twitter. One man tweeted, “First batch”. Says it right there in the headline. When the world was scrambling and Trump, on orders from Kushner, told the Governors “Good luck with your searches. You’re on your own.” At least Hogan tried. Trump is incapable of anything requiring effort.”
A Maryland local tweeted, “Thank[s] for standing up for Maryland and all of us. Sometimes it takes a few tries to get what is right. The price paid for the invalid tests is very small per Maryland citizen. You have acted and I am proud of that. The orange scourge must go.”
Hogan Replaced the Flawed COVID-19 Tests He Bought From South Korea
On Saturday, First Lady Yumi Hogan and I stood on the tarmac at @BWI_Airport to welcome the first ever Korean Air passenger plane, carrying a very important payload of LabGun #COVID19 test kits which will give MD the capability of performing half a million coronavirus tests.
In his tweet, Trump was referring to the first batch of COVID-19 testing kits Hogan bought from South Korea‘s LabGenomics back in April. The governor spent nearly $9.5 million in state funding to obtain these kits, according to CBS Baltimore, and then paid an additional $2.5 million to replace the tests after they were deemed to be flawed.
The Washington Post reported that Hogan “quietly” bought replacement tests and “withheld the tests’ flaws from the legislature, state spending authorities and the public.” Hogan declined to comment on the state’s test at the time.
“It’s incredibly frustrating that the administration seems to have taken very obvious measures to avoid accountability and oversight of these tests,” said Maryland Senator Clarence K. Lam. “We spent a lot of money on these tests, and to not be able to have forthcoming answers as to how they were used while people were dying is just unconscionable.”
Hogan Said He Was ‘Embarrassed’ That More GOP Members Weren’t Speaking Out Against Trump
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican, says he is “embarrassed that more people in the party aren’t speaking up” regarding President Trumps’ refusal to concede t.co/jw5Aybp5N5 #CNNSOTU
Earlier on Sunday, Hogan was a guest on CNN’s State of the Union, and he told Jake Tapper that he was “embarrassed that more people” in the Republican party “aren’t speaking up” against Trump.
“I have confidence that on January 20th, the president-elect is going to be sworn in,” Hogan said. “But I’m not sure I could say that I’m confident that the president’s going to do the right thing.”
“We used to go supervise elections around the world. And we were the most respected country with respect to elections and now we’re beginning to look like we’re a Banana Republic,” he continued. “It’s time for them to stop the nonsense. It just gets more bizarre every single day, and frankly, I’m embarrassed that more people in the party aren’t speaking up.”
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