Edited by Dan McDermott | WarrenCountyVa.com

President Donald Trump took to social media Saturday to criticize Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s economic record, claiming Virginia has lost its competitive edge under new taxes and rising costs. Spanberger fired back, calling the president’s claims lies and listing a series of bipartisan bills she says address housing, healthcare and energy costs.

President Trump posted at 8:46am

Heading to Virginia for meetings at Trump National. I can’t believe what this new Governor, Spanberger, has done to the Commonwealth — So sad! She is adding so many Taxes, a Food and Beverage Tax, Digital Services Tax, Utilities Tax, and more. It has lost its Energy, Vitality, and Strength. People are leaving that would never have even thought of doing so! New companies that signed to come into the Commonwealth under Governor Youngkin are now looking for ways to get out — Break their Deal. It all happened so fast! This went from a thriving and powerful place, one envied by all, to a Commonwealth run by a person who has no concept of Low Taxes and Economic Strength. People that voted for Spanberger are saying to themselves, “Why did I do that, what have I done?” We have a similar situation in New York and, most of all, in California, where Rich, Job Producing people and companies are being forced to FLEE at levels never seen before. The Tax Base in California is literally disappearing, as some of the richest people and companies in the World have no choice but to leave. They want to put on a Wealth Tax, which gives them absolutely no alternative — As President of the United States, I am embarrassed to watch the Destruction of once Great and Thriving States! These politicians are all sinking in the Polls, but that doesn’t help because they will create Trillions of Dollars worth of Destruction — Incalculable amounts. Remember, once people and companies leave, they are never coming back! President DONALD J. TRUMP

Spanberger responded twice.

The President and his allies are talking about taxes that our state legislature never even voted on and I certainly didn’t sign. Why? Because if they don’t flood the zone with fake news about fake taxes, people might hear about the bills I am signing to lower energy costs, strengthen our schools, make housing more affordable, and bring billions of dollars of business investment to Virginia.

Spanberger continued this afternoon.

The President lied about me today on social media. While he tries to distract from the soaring gas prices and economic worry he has caused, here’s what we are doing in Virginia.

I’ve signed dozens of bipartisan bills into law to address high housing, healthcare, and energy costs — and not the taxes the President and his allies are lying about. To name a few:

✅ Stopping predatory middlemen from driving up the cost of prescription drugs
✅ Incentivizing the construction of housing Virginians can actually afford
✅ Protecting families from covering the cost of energy infrastructure improvements
✅ Letting localities adopt affordable housing programs
✅ Incentivizing energy independence
✅ Investing in and growing our healthcare workforce
✅ Helping localities invest in new energy technology

I’ve signed bills to accelerate $7.1 billion in capital investment projects that will bring more than 3,250 jobs to our Commonwealth — including taking the final step in a multi-year process to bring the second-largest economic development project ever in Southern Virginia.

Instead of offering solutions to the problems he is both creating and actively making worse, the President scapegoats. He does it all the time. In Virginia, I am focused on providing stability for families, businesses, and communities — and delivering real results.

Saturday’s social media exchange comes as Spanberger faces headwinds on several fronts. A Washington Post-Schar School poll released last week showed her approval rating at 47 percent, with 46 percent disapproving — lower than the early-term average for any Virginia governor going back to 1993. Analysts have pointed to several factors in the slippage. Voters face an April 21 referendum on a Democratic plan to redraw the state’s congressional districts mid-decade, a map that would create 10 Democratic seats and one Republican seat. Spanberger also signed Virginia back into the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative through budget amendments, a cap-and-trade program that requires utilities to purchase carbon emission credits — critics say the costs will be passed to ratepayers, while supporters argue the program funds energy efficiency and flood mitigation programs. And on immigration, Spanberger signed an executive order repealing her predecessor’s requirement that local and state law enforcement cooperate with ICE, a decision that has drawn scrutiny amid reports that three of the four murder suspects in Fairfax County so far this year are illegal immigrants.

Spanberger, a former CIA officer who served three terms in Congress before winning the governorship in a 15-point landslide last November, ran as a centrist focused on affordability and touted her law enforcement background on the campaign trail.