Whitmer on her appearance at Trump press conference: ‘I needed to make the case for Michigan’

As Gov. Gretchen Whitmer stood on the sidelines while President Donald Trump ordered an investigation into a former administration official who challenged his 2020 election claims, she says she thought about the people of Michigan.

“It was not where I wanted to be or planned to be or would have liked to have been,” Whitmer told reporters Thursday. “I disagree with a lot of the stuff that was said and the actions that were taken, but I stayed in the room because I needed to make the case for Michigan and that’s my job.”

Whitmer has faced criticism for her appearance Wednesday, April 9, in a press conference with Trump in the Oval Office where he signed a number of executive orders.

Whitmer said she was unaware she was going to a press conference, believing she was instead heading into a private meeting with Trump.

While her role in the press conference was minor, largely relegated to the sideline while Trump signed executive orders, Trump praised the Democratic governor he sparred with during his last term, calling Whitmer a “very good person” who has “really done an excellent job.”

Trump also signaled he would help Michigan keep invasive Asian carp out of Lake Michigan and bring new fighter jets to Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Macomb County – two of the items Whitmer had traveled to D.C. to meet with Trump privately on.

But the optics of Whitmer, a leader in the Democratic Party who has sought to find common ground with the president, standing by while Trump furthered his policy agenda and ordered investigations into his critics upset a number of Democrats.

This comes as many Democratic voters have called on their leaders to do more to fight Trump.

“Why I refuse to normalize this president: Appeasement is not workable strategy with a fascist,” Democratic Attorney General Dana Nessel said Wednesday.

In the post, Nessel shared an MLive story in which she outlined her divergence from Whitmer’s common ground approach with Trump, saying in the article that “if (Trump) would stop destroying our state and trying to destroy our country, then maybe I could find common ground with him.”

State Rep. Betsy Coffia, D-Traverse City, on social media Wednesday compared appeasement with Trump to early efforts by the British to appease Nazi leader Adolf Hitler.

“Gonna keep saying this. British leader Neville Chamberlain tried to placate and appease Hitler. He got played,” Coffia said. “There are lessons here. Appeasement and ass kissing bullies and dictators is not a smart strategy. They will simply humiliate and laugh at you.”

Despite the controversy, Whitmer walked away from the meeting with potential wins.

Trump pledged to “save Lake Michigan” from invasive carp and teased the possibility of new fighter jets at the Selfridge Air National Guard Base.

After the meeting Whitmer requested Trump issue an emergency declaration for counties still recovering from historic and devastating ice storms in late March in Northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula.

If approved by Trump, the declaration would provide up to $5 million in immediate public assistance to support emergency efforts, according to Whitmer’s office. The declaration would cover 12 counties in Northern Michigan, and the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians.

“I sat there thinking about the people in Northern Michigan who still don’t have power,” Whitmer told reporters of her decision to stand by in the meeting. “I thought about Michigan businesses that are paying a price because of the tariff fluctuations. I thought about Selfridge Air Base, which we need to get recapitalized, and he said that yesterday. I’ve been trying to get that done the whole time I’m governor.

“That was the farthest we’ve gotten in terms of a public commitment, and it’s groundbreaking for Macomb County, for Southeast Michigan, for our aerodefense sector that we’re building so much.”

In the long run, the meeting isn’t likely to damage Whitmer politically, even if she decides to run for president in 2028, said David Dulio, a political science professor and director of the Center for Civic Engagement at Oakland University.

“This is one brick on a path that is filled with hundreds in the road to 2028, should she choose to do that,” Dulio said. “I think the national story and the pushback from Democrats is a blip, if that, and I think the benefits of being able to come back to Michigan and tout help with the health of Lake Michigan and potentially bringing a new mission to Selfridge far outweigh any criticisms.”

Many view Whitmer as a potential Democratic presidential candidate in 2028. Whitmer continues to deny she plans to run for the White House.

Earlier Wednesday, Whitmer told former FOX News anchor Gretchen Carlson that, like many Democratic voters, she too is “as anxious and angry about a lot of the policies that are coming out of Washington, D.C. right now.”

However, Whitmer highlighted the need to work with those in power to do what’s best for Michigan, saying, “If you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu.”

Whitmer’s conversation with Carlson directly followed a speech she gave in D.C. to business leaders, advocating for the strengthening of plane, ship, and semiconductor chip manufacturing in Michigan and the U.S.

In that speech, she also addressed Trump’s sweeping tariffs.

Whitmer acknowledged understanding the reasons behind the tariffs and said she’s not against tariffs “outright.” However, she said, “you can’t just pull out the tariff hammer to swing at every problem without a clear, defined end-goal.”

Whitmer was most critical about tariffs imposed on Mexico and Canada, saying the continued 25% tariffs on those countries will damage the state’s auto industry and harm American consumers and manufacturing.

On Thursday, Whitmer told reporters she relayed her concerns about those tariffs to the president. She also said some in the news media got her message about tariffs in the speech wrong.

“The coverage was wild. Some people said I endorsed all the Trump tariffs. Some said I lambasted him,” Whitmer told reporters. “And actually I said, ‘Tariffs are a blunt tool. You don’t use them to hammer the American economy. You use it to level.’ And I think that’s why I think we got to have a real strategy around manufacturing.

“I’m glad he changed his policy with regard to the reciprocal tariffs. But, nonetheless, we still have very concerning manufacturing tariffs that Michigan feels harder than anyone else.”