Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who has been floated as a possible 2028 Democratic presidential candidate, may have ended that speculation by embracing President Donald Trump on Tuesday.
Whitmer greeted and hugged Trump as he arrived in Michigan to commemorate the 100th day of his term. The two also stood on stage together during the event at the Selfridge Air National Guard Base, with Trump praising Whitmer for doing a “very good job.”
This follows Whitmer’s mid-April trip to the White House, when she stood in the Oval Office while Trump signed executive orders targeting former Trump officials who criticized him for lying about the 2020 election being stolen.
The turnaround by Whitmer will likely generate whiplash among the governor’s strongest supporters. Back in 2020 as the country was being ravaged by the coronavirus pandemic, Whitmer was the target of verbal attacks from Trump as she sought medical equipment for her state.
On Fox News, Trump complained of a “big problem with the young, a woman governor” and later referred to her as “Gretchen ‘Half’ Whitmer” who “doesn’t have a clue.”
“Every time the president ramps up this violent rhetoric, every time he fires up Twitter to launch another broadside against me, my family and I see a surge of vicious attacks sent our way” Whitmer wrote in 2020.
Trump minimized the terrorist plot to kidnap Whitmer, arguing that “maybe it was a problem, maybe it wasn’t.”
In the 2024 election, Trump won Michigan by less than 2% after losing to President Joe Biden in 2020 by nearly 3%.
But Trump is the same person he has always been. Cozying up to him enables his attacks on the values Whitmer has claimed to support, including policies that directly hurt Michigan residents.
Democrats have had enormous trouble adapting to opposing Trump again. California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has also been floated as a 2028 candidate, has spent the last few months courting right-wing figures on his podcast and even pushing harmful anti-trans rhetoric.
In Congress, Democrats have again and again voted to confirm Trump’s nominees, including just this week with the confirmation of Tilman Fertitta as ambassador to Italy. These votes continue, even though some Democratic officials have admitted that they regret voting for other Trump nominees.
When it comes to opposing Trump, the Democrats are truly in disarray. And Whitmer didn’t hesitate to join their ranks—with a hug, no less.
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