WASHINGTON (AP) — Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer met with President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday to discuss the toll tariffs are taking on the auto industry and the potential effects of his tax and spending bill on Medicaid.
It’s the latest in a string of meetings between the Democratic governor and the Republican president after the two frequently clashed during his first term. In his second term, Whitmer has adopted a more diplomatic approach, drawing some backlash from fellow Democrats. But it’s also resulted in multiple wins for Whitmer’s state, including Trump’s approving $50 million in storm relief and awarding a new fighter jet mission for an Air National Guard base in the state.
“I’ve always said that I’ll work with anyone to get things done for Michigan,” Whitmer, a potential 2028 presidential candidate, said in a statement Tuesday. “That’s why I’ve continued to go to Washington, D.C., to make sure that Michiganders are front and center when critical decisions are being made.”
The private meeting between Trump and Whitmer — her third trip to the White House this year, in addition to a dinner in February where she sat next to Trump — marks a rare cordial relationship between the president and a leading Democratic figure. A White House official would not confirm the meeting but did stress Trump’s continued focus on Michigan.
In recent weeks, Trump attacked Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, telling him to “go to hell,” while also taking aim at other high-profile Democratic governors who have pushed back on some of his policies, including California’s Gavin Newsom and Illinois’ JB Pritzker, also considered possible 2028 candidates.
Pritzker has aided Texas Democrats in leaving their state for Illinois to block Republicans from their needed quorum to pass a new congressional map backed by Trump. Early Tuesday, Trump called Pritzker “probably the dumbest of all governors” in a television interview.
Trump, however, has taken a different tone with Whitmer. Earlier this year, he said that she is a “very good person” who has done an “excellent job.”
Whitmer has treaded carefully with Trump, criticizing some of his policies rather than the president himself. She issued an executive directive last week to assess the impact of tariffs that she said have led to “massive economic uncertainty” — without mentioning Trump’s name once.
Tuesday’s appearance ended with far less controversy than some of her other encounters with Trump this year. In a trip to the White House in April, she was unexpectedly ushered into the Oval Office, shielding her face with a folder at one point before standing awkwardly nearby as the Republican president signed executive orders and assailed his political opponents during a photo opportunity.
Weeks later, the Democratic governor shared a hug with Trump as he arrived in her home state.
In their White House meeting Tuesday, Whitmer said that she told Trump and “his team about the impact tariffs are having on Michigan’s economy, especially our auto industry.” She also discussed “changes in the Medicaid program, and ongoing recovery efforts following the ice storm in Northern Michigan this year.”
Whitmer also saw Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and chief of staff Susie Wiles while at the White House.
Trump announced last month that he had spoken with Whitmer to inform her that he was appproving $50 million in federal funds for Michigan to support repairs and recovery from a March ice storm. In April, Trump traveled to Michigan to announce a new mission for Selfridge Air National Guard Base, which Whitmer has sought for years.
