Whitmer Offers Partial Support for Tariffs, Receives Praise From Trump

The Michigan Democrat met with the president at the White House.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in the White House Oval Office on April 9, 2025. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on April 9 offered partial support for tariffs, later meeting with President Donald Trump and earning praise from the commander-in-chief.

“I understand the motivation behind the tariffs, and here’s where President Trump and I do agree—we do need to make more stuff in America,” Whitmer told a crowd in Washington.

She later described tariffs as “a blunt tool” but also said the United States should “put tariffs on the technology we actually want to make in America or in industries where we already have a sizeable competitive advantage.”

She also said that tariffs are harming Michigan, particularly its auto companies.

Trump has imposed reciprocal tariffs against many countries. On Wednesday, he said he is pausing for 90 days reciprocal tariffs that went into effect earlier in the day, but raising rates for China. Other tariffs remain in place.

The president has said tariffs are a way to bring business back and keep business in the United States.

After the speech, Whitmer traveled to the White House, where she stood in the Oval Office following a meeting with Trump as he signed executive orders, including two that launched investigations into former government officials.

“We’re honored to have Gretchen Whitmer from Michigan, the great State of Michigan, and she’s been, she’s really done an excellent job, a very good person,” Trump said.

A spokesperson for Whitmer told news outlets in a statement that Whitmer was surprised she was “brought into the Oval Office” for the signings, during which the president made remarks. “Her presence is not an endorsement of the actions taken or statements made at that event,” the spokesperson said.

Trump and Whitmer frequently criticized each other during the president’s first term.

Trump told reporters that he and Whitmer discussed Asian carp and how the invasive species has impacted the Great Lakes, as well as keeping Selfridge Air National Guard Base “thriving.” State House of Representatives Speaker Matt Hall, a Republican, was also present.

The approach to Whitmer, a potential 2028 presidential contender who is prevented by term limits from serving a third term as governor, stands in contrast to that of other governors from the Democratic Party, who have largely declined to engage with Trump aside from lawsuits challenging his administration’s policies.

“If you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu,” Whitmer told Gretchen Carlson, a former Fox News anchor, in a talk after the speech. “My oath to the people of Michigan is to continue to show up, even when it means I’m going to get my lunch handed to me.”

Referring to Whitmer’s description of tariffs as “the tariff hammer,” Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat, wrote on the social media platform X after the speech that the hammer “winds up hitting your own hand rather than the nail.”

He added: “Tariffs are bad outright because they lead to higher prices and destroy American manufacturing. Trade is inherently good because both parties emerge better off from a consensual transaction.”