President Trump put one over on Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer Tuesday, unexpectedly calling her up to speak at the first of two celebratory events to mark his first 100 days in office.
Trump, 78, was addressing service members at Selfridge Air National Guard Base northeast of Detroit when he unexpectedly singled out Whitmer.
“I want to thank Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer,” the president began. “You know, I’m not supposed to do that. She’s a Democrat. They say, ‘don’t do that, don’t have her here.’ I said, ‘No, she’s going to be here… she’s done a very good job.’”
“For decades, they’ve been trying to save this facility,” Trump also said, “including your governor, who has done a very good job. She came to see me. That’s the reason she came to see me, by the way, to save Selfridge. She was very effective.”
The president then invited Whitmer — seen by many as a potential candidate for the 2028 Democratic nomination — to say a few words, leaving her visibly ill at ease.
“Well, I hadn’t planned to speak,” Whitmer began, “but on behalf of all the military men and women who serve our country — and serve so honorably on behalf of the state of Michigan — I am really damn happy we’re here to celebrate this recapitalization.”
It was the second time in recent weeks that Whitmer had been caught in an uncomfortable position near the president.
Earlier this month, the governor hid her face behind a stack of binders rather than show her face to photographers in the Oval Office, where she was waiting for Trump to meet with her to discuss the future of the air base.
Whitmer was roundly mocked by members of her own party after a photo of her playing peek-a-boo was published by the New York Times — and later admitted she regretted trying to duck the cameras.
Whitmer did not attend a rally later Tuesday in Warren, roughly 20 miles north of Detroit.
Whitmer, 53, had been a contender for the vice presidential slot alongside then-candidate Joe Biden in 2020 — but was passed over for then-California Sen. Kamala Harris.
Whitmer also re-emerged as a presidential option in the wake of Biden abandoning his 2024 run, though Harris was ultimately given the party’s standard before losing in a landslide to Trump on Election Day.
Michigan went for Trump by more than 80,000 votes last November — and was one of three critical “blue wall” states that flipped in the Republican’s favor in 2024.
The governor’s office noted in a press release that more than 5,000 Air and Army National Guard members are installed at the Selfridge base, providing an $850 million boost and up to 30,000 jobs to Michigan’s economy.
