Gretchen Whitmer assumed the governorship with a promise to “fix the damn roads” of Michigan.
How far she advances will hinge on her ability to maneuver through early challenges as she paves the way for a potential presidential run.
On Wednesday, during a visit to Washington, D.C., shining a light on her aspirations for 2028, Whitmer encountered what many in her party deemed two significant pitfalls.
Firstly, in a policy address discussing a “consistent national strategy,” Whitmer found common ground with President Donald Trump. Although she criticized Trump’s erratic introduction of tariffs and his subsequent withdrawal, she made it clear that she didn’t oppose tariffs “outright.” She expressed some understanding of Trump’s “motivation” for implementing them, which led to a backlash from Colorado’s Democratic governor, Jared Polis.
“Tariffs are overall detrimental as they increase prices and harm American manufacturing,” Polis, also a potential 2028 candidate who has sought common ground with Trump, stated on X. “Trade is fundamentally beneficial because both sides benefit from a consensual exchange.”
Later that same day, Whitmer met with Trump in the Oval Office, ostensibly to discuss issues concerning Michigan. However, the meeting did not unfold as expected.
Instead, she witnessed Trump signing several executive orders, including two demanding investigations by the Justice Department into his previous administration’s officials and reiterating his false claims regarding the 2020 election being rigged. He again made these unfounded allegations during the press briefing.
Whitmer was invited into the Oval Office alongside Michigan state House Speaker Matt Hall, a Republican, as Trump addressed reporters while signing the executive orders. Photos captured her looking uncomfortably positioned against a door as the event unfolded.
“She’s really done an excellent job,” Trump remarked about Whitmer during the impromptu media interaction. “A very good person.”
While Trump engaged with her on the topics she wanted to discuss, the optics of her presence during what turned into a bipartisan photo-op, while he targeted political opponents, left allies feeling upset and bewildered.
“It’s a total disaster,” remarked a Democratic operative who respects Whitmer but, like others quoted in this article, requested anonymity to share honest reflections on her day. “It seems to take away from the momentum she had as a politically astute Democrat in a swing state.”
Whitmer’s team quickly acted to mitigate the fallout and counter the increasing criticism from within her party.
“The governor was caught off guard when she entered the Oval Office alongside President Trump’s press conference without prior indication of the topics to be discussed,” a Whitmer spokesperson stated. “Her presence in no way endorses the actions or statements made during that event.”
Democrats have long viewed Whitmer as a significant asset to the party—a two-term governor of a swing state who won re-election decisively and was a frontrunner to be Joe Biden’s running mate in 2020 after notably enhancing her public persona during the COVID pandemic. She is among a select few prominent Democratic governors considered potential presidential candidates for 2028.
However, in contrast to other Democrats, Whitmer has opted to cultivate a more productive working relationship with Trump during his second term. Trump won Michigan in the previous election, and Whitmer perceives herself as a center-left moderate appealing to a middle-of-the-road, Midwestern electorate that is open to Trump’s narratives, especially concerning manufacturing and tariffs.
In her Washington address on Wednesday, Whitmer emphasized the need to eliminate bureaucratic hurdles and boost domestic production. She also criticized “partisanship,” stating that it has seemingly “infected every facet of our lives, and it’s exhausting.”
“Let’s give more hardworking individuals a fair shot at a decent life,” she declared. “And let’s usher in, as President Trump describes, a ‘Golden Age’ of American manufacturing.”
She did, however, diverge from Trump regarding the more substantial tariffs he announced last week and partially suspended later in the day, labeling them a “triple whammy: increased costs, fewer jobs, and greater uncertainty.”
“I grasp the rationale behind the tariffs, and here’s where President Trump and I find common ground,” she articulated. “We need to increase domestic production—more cars, chips, steel, and ships. We need fair trade.”
Her perspective on tariffs contrasts with other potential Democratic candidates, such as Polis and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, who sharply criticized Trump’s “erroneous” measures in a speech in his state on the same day.
During a Q&A session with journalist Gretchen Carlson after her address, Whitmer acknowledged that many Democrats are opposed to collaborating with Trump. Nevertheless, she expressed a necessity for collaboration because “I took an oath to the people of Michigan to secure as much progress for the state as possible.”
Whitmer also admitted she hadn’t “thought through” how she might approach tariffs differently from Trump, only asserting that tariffs should be wielded like a “scalpel.”
A national Democratic strategist remarked, “It’s a significant indictment of Whitmer and her team’s judgment that they didn’t have a clear response on the tariff issue and then ended up in the White House, clearly outmaneuvered by Donald Trump, culminating in her being shown in the Oval Office while he signed one of his executive orders focused on revenge and retribution while declaring the 2020 election was rigged.”
Regarding tariffs, her spokesperson stressed areas of disagreement with Trump rather than points of alignment on the policy.
“This morning, the governor delivered a speech in Washington, D.C., discussing the damaging effects tariffs have on Michigan residents—ranging from companies hiking prices and laying off employees to retirement accounts being severely affected,” the spokesperson noted. “The announcement of a 90-day pause this afternoon is a step in the right direction and will alleviate the burden for numerous businesses across the state, but we remain apprehensive about tariffs that could harm American auto manufacturers.”
Whitmer and Hall were slated to engage with Trump regarding federal investments at Michigan’s Selfridge Air National Guard Base, address the recent devastating ice storm in the state, and formulate a strategy to combat the invasive Asian carp in Lake Michigan. Whitmer’s allies characterized the meeting as successful on those fronts.
“Governor Whitmer thanks President Trump for his acknowledgments regarding the protection of the Great Lakes from invasive carp, his initiatives at Selfridge, and his willingness to assist us in northern Michigan,” her spokesperson stated.
A Democratic official with past ties to Whitmer indicated her interactions with Trump demonstrate she “is quite effective at advocating for her state.”
“And President Trump evidently pays attention to what she says and does,” this individual noted. “You witnessed that today regarding tariffs, the advancements made concerning Selfridge, and the other matters she brought to the table.”
Whitmer’s day also offered some political complexity. Her Oval Office visit did not only frustrate Democrats; Republicans expressed concerns that it provided an unnecessary boost to a figure they have long tried to vilify in a critical electoral battleground.
“Trump has effectively undermined Republicans in Michigan by stating Whitmer is doing an excellent job,” a Republican strategist from Michigan texted. “I mean, seriously, what the hell, she is a candidate for his position in 2028.”
The burgeoning rapport between Trump and Whitmer—Wednesday marked their second meeting in less than two months—would have been unimaginable not long ago. Trump featured prominently in the political memoir Whitmer published last year, with their contentious relationship comprising a substantial part of the first chapter: “Don’t Let the Bullies Get You Down.”
Whitmer wrote about Trump’s response to her critiques of his management during the early pandemic, branding her dismissively as “that woman from Michigan.” Her team embraced this pejorative, turning it into a badge of honor in progressive circles.
“That’s the secret to overcoming bullies: You take their weapon and turn it into your shield,” Whitmer wrote. “Whenever Trump assigned me a nickname, I claimed it as my identity.”
This background left some commentators grappling with cognitive dissonance on Wednesday.
“Whitmer damaged her candidacy today,” a Democratic strategist commented. “She appeared anxious in the Oval Office. That visual will resonate. So will the image of Trump lauding her as he enacted executive orders against his adversaries.”
A former Democratic operative who previously collaborated with Whitmer remarked that her address felt like an “opening salvo” in her presidential aspirations.
“There seems to be a sort of absolutism among Democrats where you’re either entirely against Trump or not against him enough, you know?” this individual suggested. “And for a Midwestern governor, there are indeed appropriate times to support tariffs.”
This individual expressed surprise at the backlash she received from Polis after her speech, interpreting the criticism as a sign that “2028 is on,” yet they also found Whitmer’s Oval Office appearance perplexing.
“Overall, it didn’t seem great,” they noted. “The image of her standing there in the corner appearing uncomfortable. The strange banter. The entire scenario was confusing. Why did it occur? Whose idea was it?”
Despite this, the individual asserted that Whitmer, committed to working across party lines, including with Trump, for the betterment of her state, can point to meaningful outcomes stemming from her visit to Michigan residents.
However, the national dialogue surrounding her visit will likely differ greatly.
“In conclusion, it was a great visit, right?” this individual continued, listing the local issues Whitmer aimed to address—before shifting focus to the spectacle of the executive orders. “It felt like, oh wow, what just happened?”
