America first? More like ‘America last,' Mass. Gov. Healey slams Trump during MSNBC interview
'For a president who is about America first, he's making America last,' Healey said during an appearance on MSNBC's 'Morning Joe' program.
The Arlington Democrat, who has been boosting her nationwide profile as the Republican White House has escalated its attacks on the Bay State, offered some of her most comprehensive criticism yet of an array of Trump administration policies.
Healey reflected on a visit to UMass Chan Medical School last week, where she and the school's leaders said cuts to the National Institutes of Health were already impacting the state's economy.
'Because of Donald Trump's cuts, they've had to lay off 200 faculty members,' Healey told 'Morning Joe' host Mika Brzezinski.
'They've had to rescind offers to 80 graduate students. Because these are scientists, okay?' Healey continued. 'These are people who are discovering and working on life-saving cures for cancer, Alzheimer's, ALS, you name it, and all of that is being shut down.'
Read More: 200 jobs affected at UMass Chan in Worcester due to Trump cuts
As a result, Trump's 'misguided attacks on our universities and on research,' at UMass, Harvard University and other schools 'are benefiting China,' Healey said.
'China is recruiting right now on our campuses, all those scientists and faculty members and students who've been laid off or had their offers rescinded and say, 'Come to China. We'll build you that lab,' she continued.
Healey's comments on that score were substantially similar to those she made during an appearance on CBS News' 'Face the Nation' program on Sunday.
Read More: Mass Gov. Healey: Trump's funding cuts, attacks on Harvard are 'bad for science'
'It's bad for patients, it's bad for science, and it's really bad for American competitiveness,' Healey said during that Sunday interview. 'As governor, I want Massachusetts to soar. I want America soaring. And what Donald Trump is doing is basically saying to China and other ... countries, come to the United States, take — take our scientists, take our researchers, and ... that's what's happening."
As she has for weeks, Healey continued to stress that the state doesn't have the money to backfill the loss of billions of dollars of federal support that provide the underpinning for her $62 billion budget proposal for the new fiscal year that starts July 1.
But she said the state is taking other steps, including meeting with business leaders and offering resources for those affected by tariffs.
Read More: Are you a Mass. business feeling the bite from tariffs? New Healey admin effort aims to help
'It is challenging as a governor who cut taxes, as a governor who's building housing,' Healey, who signed a $5.1 billion housing bond bill into law last year, said.
'You know, it is so disruptive that we have these tariffs, where now my lumber is coming from Canada, and the gypsum and other materials are coming from Mexico, and Trump just made housing a lot more expensive to build,' she said.
With Healey seeking a second term in 2026 and a growing field of Republican opponents emerging, the pressure is on the Democratic governor to deliver on a host of policy priorities.
The twin challenges of Massachusetts' housing and shelter crisis have taken a toll on Healey's popularity, with a majority of respondents to a February poll giving her the thumbs-down on those two issues.
On MSNBC on Wednesday, Healey laid the blame for the state's ills at Trump's feet.
'It's just another example of Donald Trump not showing up for everyday Americans, not delivering on results, making it very hard for governors like me, who want to deliver for our residents, who want to grow the economy,' she said.
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