LIBERATE MICHIGAN: Trump's Call to Defy COVID-19 Lockdown Orders and the Armed Occupation of the Michigan State Capitol
Tier 3Documented2020-04-17 to 2020-10-08
Factual Summary
On April 17, 2020, President Donald Trump posted a series of tweets targeting three states led by Democratic governors that had implemented stay-at-home orders in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The tweets read: "LIBERATE MINNESOTA!" followed by "LIBERATE MICHIGAN!" and "LIBERATE VIRGINIA, and save your great 2nd Amendment. It is under siege!" The tweets came one day after Trump announced guidelines for a phased reopening of the economy but left implementation to state governors.
The tweets were posted in the context of organized anti-lockdown protests that had already begun in several states. In Michigan, protests against Governor Gretchen Whitmer's stay-at-home order had been building throughout April, fueled by conservative groups and amplified on social media. Trump's "LIBERATE" tweets served as a public presidential endorsement of the protest movement.
On April 30, 2020, thirteen days after Trump's tweet, armed demonstrators entered the Michigan State Capitol building in Lansing carrying semiautomatic rifles and tactical gear. Protesters stood in the gallery above the state Senate chamber, some carrying rifles and at least one displaying a Confederate flag. Another protester carried a sign reading "Tyrants Get the Rope." Legislators reported feeling threatened. Some Democratic lawmakers wore bulletproof vests. Michigan state law permitted the open carry of firearms in the Capitol building at the time.
Trump responded to the armed Capitol occupation by tweeting that Whitmer should "give a little" and "put out the fire" by negotiating with the protesters, rather than condemning the armed intimidation of elected officials.
On October 8, 2020, the FBI announced the arrest of 13 individuals in connection with a plot to kidnap Governor Whitmer, storm the Michigan Capitol, and potentially assassinate her. Several of the defendants cited Trump's rhetoric, including the "LIBERATE MICHIGAN" tweet, as motivation or validation for their actions. During trial proceedings, defense attorneys for some defendants argued that Trump's public statements had encouraged their clients to believe they were acting in accordance with the president's wishes. Two defendants were convicted in federal court in August 2022; others were convicted in state court proceedings.
Trump never condemned the kidnapping plot. When asked about it during a presidential debate on October 22, 2020, he responded: "I'll tell you what, people are entitled to say maybe it was a problem, maybe it wasn't."
Primary Sources
1. Trump tweets: "LIBERATE MINNESOTA!" "LIBERATE MICHIGAN!" and "LIBERATE VIRGINIA, and save your great 2nd Amendment. It is under siege!" April 17, 2020
2. FBI criminal complaint, United States v. Adam Fox et al., October 2020
3. Federal trial proceedings, United States v. Fox et al., W.D. Mich., 2022
4. Video and photographic documentation of armed protesters in the Michigan State Capitol, April 30, 2020
Corroborating Sources
1. Washington Post: "Trump tweets support of protesting against stay-at-home orders," April 17, 2020
2. NBC News: "Trump says some state orders are 'too tough,' stands by 'LIBERATE' tweets encouraging anti-lockdown groups," April 2020
3. Bridge Michigan: "'Liberate Michigan': Months of angry rhetoric precede Whitmer kidnap plot," October 2020
4. Rolling Stone: "Trump Tweets to 'Liberate' Michigan, Minnesota, and Virginia," April 17, 2020
5. ABC News: "Trump tweets support for protesters defying stay-at-home orders," April 2020
Counterarguments and Context
Trump's defenders argued that the "LIBERATE" tweets expressed a legitimate policy disagreement with the severity of state lockdown orders and that calling for political liberation is protected speech that does not constitute incitement to violence. They noted that millions of Americans shared concerns about the economic devastation caused by prolonged lockdowns and that the protests were expressions of constitutionally protected assembly. The White House stated that the tweets were meant to support peaceful protest. The armed occupation of the Michigan Capitol was legal under state law at the time, and the participants were not charged with any crime for entering the building with weapons. Regarding the kidnapping plot, Trump's supporters argued that the president could not be held responsible for the actions of individuals who made independent decisions to engage in criminal activity. The defendants' invocation of Trump's rhetoric at trial was characterized by Trump allies as an attempt to shift blame. However, the timeline is documented: the president publicly called on citizens to "liberate" a state whose governor was implementing public health measures, armed protesters occupied that state's capitol less than two weeks later, and a kidnapping plot against that governor was subsequently uncovered, with defendants citing the president's rhetoric. The causal link between Trump's words and the specific criminal plot is a matter of interpretive judgment, but the chronological sequence and the defendants' own statements are matters of public record.
Author's Note
This entry is classified as Tier 3 because the tweets, the armed Capitol occupation, and the kidnapping plot are all documented through primary evidence, including Trump's own posts, video footage, and federal court records. The entry does not assert a direct causal connection between Trump's tweets and the kidnapping plot but documents the documented sequence of events and the defendants' own statements about the role of Trump's rhetoric in motivating their actions.