Lansing, Michigan (AP) – Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer delivered a speech on economic policy with President Donald Trump hours before the planning meeting, reflecting a high-profile Democrats’ reflection on the president’s more diplomatic approach as her party’s attack on him exacerbated his attack.
By Whitmer as a “blueprint for success”, her long “building, American, build” address calls for bipartisan cooperation to promote American manufacturing. She also highlighted common priorities when she made soft criticism of the president.
“I understand the motivation behind the tariffs, and I can tell you that this is where President Trump and I agree. We do need to make more in the United States,” Whitmer added. “I'm not against tariffs, but it's a straightforward tool, but it's a straightforward tool. You can't just get out of tariffs on all issues without a clear end.”
The address was rescheduled from last week due to severe ice storms in northern Michigan, with her second one-on-one meeting with Trump in less than a month, except for a dinner at the White House where she sat next to him.
Wednesday's meeting comes after Trump announced that new tariffs are expected to affect Michigan disproportionately. Michigan's economy is closely linked to the automotive industry that relies on trade with Canada, Mexico and other countries. She added that she will also meet with members of the Trump cabinet and plans to discuss the impact of the tariffs.
Whitmer, who was one of Trump’s most voiced critics during his first term and campaign, has taken a more measured tone of the president since re-election, and has delivered multiple speeches calling for a search for “common things.”
“If you’re not on the table, you’re on the menu,” Whitmer said during a discussion after the speech. “I swore to the people of Michigan to continue to show up, even if it means I’m going to hand me lunch.”
Whitmer's approach is in stark contrast to other high-profile democratic governors, many of whom (like her) are seen as potential contenders for the party's 2028 presidential nomination.
Colorado Democratic Gov. Jared Polis responded directly to Whitmer's speech Wednesday, saying “Tariff Hammer” Whitmer mentioned “entangling his own hands instead of his nails.”
“Tariffs are bad because they lead to higher prices and disrupt U.S. manufacturing,” Polis said on social media.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker remains a national-level leader voice against Trump, strongly criticizing the new tariffs this week. Meanwhile, California Governor Gavin Newsom appealed directly to international partners, urging them to exempt their country and declared that “California is not Washington, DC”
Whitmer faces a more challenging political landscape than Pritzker or Newsom, with the state splitting the legislature and a state running for Trump in two of the last three elections. But even Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, the country governor who voted for Trump in 2024, has taken a more critical approach to Trump, told reporters Tuesday that Trump “wanted to screw up our farmers with tariffs.”
Whitmer's balance was seen in a speech Wednesday, followed by a conversation with former Fox News host Gretchen Carlson. She agreed with Trump’s need to build more in the U.S. but made it clear that she disagrees with his tariff attitude, stressing that the shift “will not happen overnight.”
“There is no shortcut here. Strategic reindustrialization must be a bipartisan project that spans multiple presidential administrations,” Whitmer said in his speech. “We need a tariff strategy on the technology we really want to develop in the United States.”
Whitmer has less than two years left due to term limits — traveling outside Michigan for much of the year and visiting Washington, D.C. and other states, as she works for Democrats in 2024.
Still, she reiterated on Wednesday that she did not run for president in 2028, although her speech is unlikely to calm speculation.
“This year and in the next few years – whoever is in the White House – we need to bet on American workers. We need to bring chip makers home. Let's rule the ocean, the sky and the road. Let's innovate, let's build the building,” Whitmer said at the end.
