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Let’s call it Whitmer’s wild day in Washington, where she finally delivered what was supposed to be a very serious address to establish her bona fides on dealing with economic uncertainty, practical politics and displaying some foreign policy chops on a national platform.
Whitmer typically plays the game of political optics very, very well and her name continually gets floated as a potential Democratic presidential nominee in 2028.
But, this week, she’s the one who got played as she literally walked into a televised Oval Office ambush with President Donald Trump, a small group of cabinet members and a positively beaming Michigan House Speaker (and practical captain of the state GOP) Matt Hall.
And her problem is in this ambush, Trump killed her with kindness, praised her job performance and fawned over “the woman from Michigan” in a surprise live-on-television event. The Democratic governor, meanwhile, looked like she wanted to disappear into the wall. (Zoe’s post on X captured the surreal nature of the moment.)
In both her remarks and her Oval Office stop-by, Whitmer displayed a willingness to work with a Republican President with whom she has existential differences.
This is a new lane for Whitmer and, well, it got awkward.
A Whitmer spokesperson texted Rick after the event: “The governor was surprised she was brought into the Oval Office during President Trump’s press conference without any notice of the subject matter. Her presence is not an endorsement of the actions or statements made at that event.” She followed that up with similar messaging once she returned to Michigan.
Whitmer’s Oval Office foray came with risks – as the progressive blowback mounted. (Michigan Rep. Lori Pohutsky (D-Livonia) and chair of the Michigan Progressive Women’s Caucus posted this scorcher on the X platform.)
As Whitmer (presciently) commented just hours before the Oval Office, “My oath to the people of Michigan is to continue to show up even when it means I know I’m going to get my… lunch handed to me.” And, she also sounded not unaware of the political risk, “In this moment it feels like no action comes without loud criticism from one realm or another. And, as someone in the public eye, I can tell you it’s coming from both sides of the political spectrum.”
So, what gives?
Well, it appears that Whitmer is making a bet. She’s leaning into the idea that most (a majority of?) Americans want politicians from across the aisle working together. She’s making a bet that over the longer term, people will prefer that, especially as Trump is exiting the presidential stage. But she put her chips on the table just as Trump was signing orders that tanked the stock market and was not exactly kind to the automotive supply chain.
Trump’s brand is bedlam and unpredictability. Businesses like lower taxes and lifting regulations, but are also looking for stability and foreseeable actions. (Michigan’s automotive sector isn’t entirely relieved by the partial rollback of tariffs.) Politicians eying the future also like predictability.
So, is Whitmer making a smart bet by leaning into bipartisan-dealmaking? Anyone who tells you right now that they know is a liar (or a fool). The next measure is the 2026 midterms that are more than a year and a half away.
Whitmer is trying to read the room… as the room is being built.
Digging deeper: Whitmer appeared to leave the Oval Office with some deliverables on protecting the Great Lakes from the invasive Asian carp and the future of the Selfridge Air National Guard base in Macomb County. Maybe. The President said “We’re going to get it done and we’re all going to stand there together and cut a ribbon … We’ll have something to celebrate.” We’ll see if he sticks with that and it may all depend on Whitmer remaining circumspect about her true inner thoughts regarding the President. Just today, Whitmer asked for a presidential disaster declaration to qualify for federal assistance following a northern Michigan ice storm.
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Have questions about Michigan politics? Or, just want to let us know what you want more of (less of?) in the newsletter? We always want to hear from you! Shoot us an email at politics@michiganpublic.org!
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What we’re talking about at the dinner table
2026 filling in: Republican Congressman John James made it official this week (albeit super low-key) that he’s running for governor in 2026. We spent a bunch of the podcast talking about James’ announcement and his role in the Trump-aligned Republican Party. As is often the case with these sorts of things, James’ gubernatorial announcement set up a domino effect as we watch to see who jumps into the race to fill this swing congressional seat. The Cook Political Report most recently ranked the 10th Congressional District R+3, but an open seat changes the game. This week already saw, on the Democratic side, former state Representative Tim Greimel toss his hat into the race, as well as career prosecutor Christina Hines (who unsuccessfully ran for Macomb County prosecutor last year). Army veteran Alex Hawkins announced earlier this year. It’s been crickets on the Republican side but we don’t see that lasting long.
O Canada: One normally thinks of the United States’ Ambassadorship to Canada as a relatively uncontroversial position (just ask former Michigan Governor-turned-Ambassador-Jim Blanchard) but with the ongoing fracas between DC and our neighbors to the north, more eyes than usual were on the Senate’s confirmation of the position this week in Washington. Former Michigan Congressman (and former Chair of the MI GOP) Pete Hoekstra was confirmed 60-37 but, as the BBC notes, “Hoekstra's appointment comes at a difficult time. His boss, Trump, recently threatened annexation and a global tariff war, and has repeatedly insulted Canada since he took office in January. Over the past months, Trump urged Canada to become the ‘51st state’ of the United States, and referred to then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as ‘Governor Trudeau’.” But, during his hearing in front of the Senate last month, “Hoekstra said Canada was an independent country, noting the close ties between his home state of Michigan and Ontario. Still, Trump's comments, along with the tariffs imposed on Canadian goods have turned Canadians against their southern neighbour.” Both Michigan Democratic Senators Gary Peters and Elissa Slotkin voted in favor of Hoekstra’s confirmation.
It’s not about guns: Well it is, sort of. The Michigan Court of Appeals upheld dismissing a lawsuit filed by Michigan Open Carry and Great Lakes Gun Rights that its representatives were denied their right to speak (and not not simply file written comments) to legislative committees during hearings on bills on firearms restrictions. The issue is not the restrictions, but the opportunity to sit in front of committees and speak directly to lawmakers. Michigan Open Carry is deciding whether to appeal to the Michigan Supreme Court, which could present a real headache for legislative Republicans who take an expansive view of gun rights – but aren’t keen on courts meddling in how the Legislature manages its affairs. The House Republican leadership argues in a different case that courts have to stay away from telling the legislative branch how to operate. We’ve written about it before: The Democratic Senate leadership is suing to get nine bills adopted last year dislodged from the House clerk’s office and sent to Governor Gretchen Whitmer to sign or veto.
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Yours in political nerdiness,
Rick Pluta & Zoe Clark
Co-hosts, It’s Just Politics
