{"id":10717,"date":"2025-04-17T18:50:51","date_gmt":"2025-04-17T10:50:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/?p=10717"},"modified":"2025-04-17T18:50:56","modified_gmt":"2025-04-17T10:50:56","slug":"whitmer-navigates-political-minefield-with-trump","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/?p=10717","title":{"rendered":"Whitmer navigates political minefield with Trump"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) is navigating tricky political terrain in her working relationship with President Trump ahead of a potential 2028 presidential bid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whitmer was the target of criticism from both the left and right for her White House visit with Trump last week, in which her staff said she was surprised to be brought into the Oval Office during the president\u2019s press conference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The New York Times published a photo of her in the room appearing to cover her face with folders during the press event, garnering ridicule on both sides of the aisle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trump notably praised Whitmer during the presser, saying he was \u201chonored\u201d to host her at the White House.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShe\u2019s really done an excellent job and is a really good person,\u201d the president told reporters, marking a contrast from his 2020 criticism of Whitmer as \u201cthe woman in Michigan.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Next<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stay<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But others were less enthused. Whitmer faced criticism online for the visit, including from some Michigan Democrats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Michigan state Rep. Betsy Coffia (D) wrote on X that \u201cappeasement and ass kissing bullies and dictators is not a strategy,\u201d while the state\u2019s Attorney General Dana Nessel (D) wrote \u201cappeasement is not a workable strategy with a fascist.\u201d Neither mentioned Whitmer by name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Friday\u2019s events underscore the challenging political position Whitmer faces as the governor of a quintessential purple state, which she and Trump have both won.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One national Democratic strategist noted that it was time for Whitmer\u2019s critics online and in the media \u201cto go outside and touch grass,\u201d while a Michigan Democratic operative said it was \u201cthe election bro-commentariat that was really fired up\u201d following the Oval Office meeting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whitmer was in Washington to deliver the third installment in a series of speeches on bipartisanship. The governor met with Trump following the speech to discuss funding for Selfridge Air National Guard Base and aid for those impacted by an ice storm. The visit coincidentally overlapped with the upheaval over Trump\u2019s tariffs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Michigan-based Democratic strategist Adrian Hemond noted that some of the optics from Whitmer\u2019s meeting with Trump were \u201cunfortunate,\u201d but said ultimately she is \u201cdoing her job.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOverall she\u2019s been reasonably effective at at least developing a relationship with the guy,\u201d Hemond said. \u201cThe proof\u2019s obviously in the pudding. If she can deliver on one of the things that she was talking on camera with the president about, that would go a long way.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Republicans also point out that it behooves Whitmer and other Democratic governors to meet with Trump from a governing and political perspective. The governor was at the White House with the state\u2019s House Speaker Matt Hall (R), who presides over the GOP\u2019s majority in the state House.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShe obviously needs to be seen with the president to help with the political capital to govern with Republicans in the state House and the state Senate up [in 2026],\u201d said one Michigan Republican operative, noting that Michigan state House Speaker Matt Hall (R) was also present for the meeting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whitmer continued to take a bipartisan tone at the Detroit Economic Club on Monday, where she referenced former Michigan GOP Govs. Rick Snyder and John Engler in a positive light.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The governor acknowledged that she took a lot of heat for the Oval Office visit in an episode of Reshma Saujani\u2019s \u201cMy So-Called Midlife\u201d podcast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat do you do? Do you make a scene? Well that doesn\u2019t help the people of Michigan. Do you walk out? That doesn\u2019t help the people of Michigan. So I stood there,\u2019 Whitmer said on Monday. \u201cI\u2019ve gotten a lot of heat for it but I had to ask for help for the people of Michigan.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whitmer is not the only Democratic governor to meet with Trump on his turf during his second administration. California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) traveled to Washington earlier this year to appeal to Trump and lawmakers on Capitol Hill in the wake of the state\u2019s deadly wildfires. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) met with Trump last month, in what her office called \u201ca productive meeting on a number of issues including congestion pricing and tariffs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGovernor Whitmer and Democratic governors across the country are doing what they\u2019ve always done as strong and successful state executives: working with anyone to get real results for their states while also standing up against policies that harm their residents,\u201d said Sam Newton, communications director at the Democratic Governors Association.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Michigan Democratic Party Chair Curtis Hertel echoed this sentiment, referencing Whitmer\u2019s motto, \u201cGet s\u2014 done.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGovernor Whitmer has proved time and again that she\u2019s never given up on her Democratic values and is always willing to do what it takes to get shit done for Michiganders,\u201d Hertel said in a statement. \u201cLeadership means showing up and advocating for our great state to bring jobs and relief to countless families in every corner of the state, and Governor Whitmer is walking the walk.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whitmer has maintained a high approval rating in the state despite Trump flipping the state in last year\u2019s presidential election.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to a poll released earlier this month by Lansing, Mich.-based public relations firm Marketing Resource Group showed Whitmer with a 57 percent approval and 33 percent disapproval rating. The same poll showed Trump with a 42 percent approval rating and a 51 percent disapproval rating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whitmer has repeatedly been floated as a potential 2028 presidential contender. Many Democrats argue her bipartisan rhetoric and vision would play well in a general election. Meanwhile, Democrats and even some Republicans are skeptical the events of Thursday\u2019s Oval Office meeting will be more than a blip ahead of 2028, if Whitmer were to launch a bid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI would love to say yes it\u2019s so bad, but two things \u2014 one, it\u2019s not even \u201926 yet. There\u2019s an entire election between now and whatever her ambitions are,\u201d the unnamed Republican operative said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What remains unclear, however, is how Whitmer\u2019s bipartisan vision will play in a Democratic primary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe bases of both parties are unforgiving of bipartisan cooperation,\u201d said Michigan Republican strategist Jason Cabel Roe. \u201cIt\u2019s hard for me to imagine that the Democratic base is going to let the leash run very long for ambitious Democratic politicians.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) is navigating tricky political terrain in her working relationship with President Trump ahead of a potential 2028 presidential bid. 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