Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer corrects Meghan McCain's 'shame on you' tweet

On Easter Sunday, "The View" co-host Meghan McCain aimed a "shame on you" message on social media at Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

Hours later, Whitmer replied and wished McCain a happy Easter.  

It started Sunday morning when McCain posted a tweet addressing a claim that people in Michigan can't purchase baby car seats in stores under the state's stay-home, stay-safe order.

"Guess it’s good I don’t live in Michigan — otherwise how would I transport my child home from the hospital @GovWhitmer? Are you going to ban cribs next? Being pregnant during this time is insanely stressful — we are all doing our best. Shame on you for doing this @GovWhitmer," wrote the daytime talk show star, who announced in late March that she and her husband are expected their first child.

On Sunday afternoon, a reply to McCain from Whitmer's official account said McCain had the wrong information.

"Hi Meghan! Our Stay Home, Stay Safe executive order does not ban the purchasing of car seats for children," Whitmer's post stated. 

Whitmer's tweet also invited McCain to read more about Michigan's order at the frequently asked questions link and ended with this: "Wishing your family well, and happy Easter!"

Attached to Whitmer's message was a portion of the FAQs that reads: 

"Q: Does Executive Order 2020-42 ban the purchasing of car seats for children? A: No. Car seats may be available for purchase."

Whitmer's spokeswoman Tiffany Brown said via email Sunday that the car seat question was added to the FAQs to correct rumors.

Brown advises residents with questions about the stay-home order to first check www.michigan.gov/coronavirus for accurate and the most up-to-date information. 

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On Thursday, Whitmer extended Michigan's stay-home, stay safe executive order to April 30 and expanded certain elements of the shutdown, including limiting access to nonessential items at stores allowed to stay open to sell essential items.

The order extending the stay-home period called for stores with more than 50,000 square feet to close areas "by cordoning them off, placing signs in aisles, posting prominent signs, removing goods from shelves, or other appropriate means" dedicated to carpet or flooring, furniture, garden centers and plant nurseries, and paint.

What triggered McCain's ire was a Friday tweet by Tori Sachs, the executive director of the conservative group Michigan Rising Action.

Sachs posted on Twitter that day: "Per order from@GovWhitmer, people in Michigan are now banned from purchasing a new baby car seat in stores. This is dangerous and this order needs clarification immediately. #migov #mileg." The tweet was re-tweeted 4,400 times. 

The message was accompanied by a photo, apparently taken inside a Walmart, of boxed car seats that had been blocked off by yellow tape. A note attached next to them stated, "By order of the State of Michigan, items in this 'non-essential' area are not available for purchase.'"

The note directed shoppers to Walmart.com.

Sachs, a campaign manager for Republican U.S. Senate candidate John James in 2018 and a veteran of former GOP Gov. Rick Snyder's administration, posted a thread of tweets Sunday afternoon explaining her reasons for the car seat claim.

"I tweeted the picture to raise awareness of the confusion Whitmer's bans were causing. No mother who needs a car seat for her kid would be in a store right now unless she absolutely needed it. I tweeted it out to raise awareness that this was happening — and that it wasn't right," wrote Sachs.

In addition to replying to McCain, Whitmer also posted a separate tweet on her official Twitter account. "We’ve seen misinformation circulating, so I’d like to be very clear — the Stay Home, Stay Safe executive order does not ban the purchasing of car seats for children."

Contact Detroit Free Press pop culture critic Julie Hinds at jhinds@freepress.com.