Whitmer Claims ‘bfd’ Victory For Michigan After Appearing On Stage With Trump

Of the potential 2028 Democratic presidential contenders, no one has placed a bigger bet than Gretchen Whitmer that a conciliatory approach to President Donald Trump could pay off.

On Tuesday in Michigan, it appeared to do just that, as Trump announced a new F-15 fighter mission at Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Macomb County. Whitmer’s office said it would generate some $850 million in economic impacts for her state — exactly what she had visited the Oval Office for earlier this month in a move that was blasted by her critics and that resulted in Whitmer shielding her face with a folder.

This time, though, Whitmer wasn’t hiding her face, instead stepping on stage with Trump to take a victory bow, in what she described to POLITICO on Tuesday as “a BFD for my state.”

On stage, Whitmer didn’t address Trump by name, even though he said “that’s the reason she came to see me: To save Selfridge.”

As with the awkward Oval Office visit — in which Whitmer was unexpectedly whisked in as the president signed executive orders punishing domestic political opponents — Whitmer told the audience in Michigan she “hadn’t planned to speak.”

But she said she was “damn happy” she was there. Later, she told POLITICO she had learned from her mistake from her last meeting with the president.

“I wouldn’t have put my folder in front of my face, because that just gave people fodder,” Whitmer said. “All the grief — this shows you why you put the people first. They see it, and it pays off. This announcement is such an important thing for Michigan and our economy.”

She added, “One of the things I hope people have learned about me is whether it is threats during a pandemic, or it is ridicule from an Oval Office meeting, I’m always putting people of Michigan first. I put the people of Michigan before my self interest because that’s my job, and I take my job seriously.”

Trump also on Tuesday signed an executive order giving automakers a break from his own tariffs, a move Whitmer had advocated for. Yet while she called the measure “a step in the right direction,” she still sounded a note of caution about their overall economic impact on her manufacturing-heavy state.

“I still think uncertainty is really dangerous for the American economy. I still think tariffs with Canada and Mexico are counterintuitive and dangerous as well.”

Chris Meagher, a Democratic strategist and former Whitmer adviser, said that “if people are going to give Gov. Whitmer grief for showing up in the Oval Office a couple of weeks ago, then they should also give her credit for getting the job done and delivering for the state of Michigan today.”

Whitmer put it more simply, saying she was “pleased.”

What Whitmer’s political future holds remains uncertain. She is term-limited next year, and has passed on a Senate bid, saying in an interview “that’s not something I wanted to do.”

Asked when she would decide about a presidential bid — the same day Gina Raimondo told David Axelrod in an appearance that she is considering running for president in 2028 — Whitmer laughed.

“Oh God — you know what, I’m going to stay focused on doing my job until the day I walk out the door, and then I’d like to take some time with my family,” she said. “I don’t know what’s next for me. I really don’t.”