Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer delivered a lengthy speech at the Detroit Auto Show on Jan. 15 that sounded much like a State of the State address.
In a preamble to her remarks, Whitmer’s staff wrote that the speech was timed to precede President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration next week. Her speech was billed as a commonsense path forward for Michigan.
Whitmer, a Democrat, is widely known for her stringent lockdown policies in Michigan during the COVID-19 pandemic, fighting vociferously for abortion access, and championing the LGBT agenda.
Early in her speech, Whitmer took a collaborative tone with the incoming president.
“Michiganders elected both me and Donald Trump twice,” she said, adding that the people expect the pair “to find some common ground.”
Whitmer focused on the auto industry and the threat posed to it by the Chinese regime.
She warned that China and others “are gunning for Michigan auto jobs”
We’re going to fight. ... [We cannot] allow the Chinese government to sell at a loss and crash our economy,” she said.
The governor suggested the state Legislature and the Canadian government “take on China together.”
She said she isn’t looking for a fight but “won’t back down either.”
“I’ll stand up to anyone that gets in the way,” she said.
Whitmer proposed a new system of tax cuts to reward employers for hiring more Michigan employees and paying them more.
“It’s not politics, it’s just common sense,” she said.
For the first four years of Whitmer’s tenure, both chambers of the Michigan Legislature were controlled by Republicans.
Democrats gained control of both chambers in the 2022 midterms.
Whitmer made the most of the short-lived trifecta, signing numerous bills into law that forwarded the liberal agenda in the areas of transgenderism and abortion access, and she undid many election changes put in place by Republicans.
The GOP won back control of the state House of Representatives in the November 2024 election.
In her auto show address, Whitmer said she regarded compromise as a good thing and would work with anyone and partner with both sides to get things done.
“I will always seek collaboration first,” she said.
Moderating her pro-electric vehicle stance, Whitmer said that she does not care what people drive, whether it be gasoline-powered, hybrid, or electric.
“We care that it’s made in Michigan, by Michigan workers,” she said.
A Time for Action
The Michigan governor called on Republicans to look for “new, fair, sources of revenue to fix the state’s roads and bridges.”“We can’t just cut our way to better roads,” she said.
Whitmer urged her fellow Democrats to accept responsible cuts and to focus on “stuff that matters most”—roads, schools, and safety.
“Both parties will have to compromise to do this right,” she said. “The people of Michigan will not accept inaction.”
Addressing Trump’s penchant for using tariffs, Whitmer said, “We certainly shouldn’t use them to punish our closest trading partners.”
Referring to the need to prevent the disruption of commerce between Michigan and Canada, Whitmer criticized the Canadian truckers who in 2022, blockaded the Ambassador Bridge between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, over COVID-19 restrictions.
Whitmer said: “The future of the entire auto industry is at stake. The very core of the Michigan economy is on the line. If the auto industry succeeds, Michigan succeeds, and America succeeds.”
She announced plans for more spending on jobs programs; transit, including buses and rail; better roads; and preparing shovel-ready sites for new developments.
“To my partners in the Legislature, let’s get back to the negotiating table and hammer out a bipartisan deal to get this done in 2025,” she said.
