Michigan Governor Whitmer, one of the Democratic Party's most prominent national leaders, warned in a speech Wednesday that President Trump's trade war could have a terrible impact, but that she was careful not to directly blame him because she accepted the bipartisan message.
“The tariffs should be used like a female, not a hammer,” Whitmer said in Washington in an event space near the White House. “Unfortunately, it is unclear how this will strategically benefit the US economy and American consumers. I think that's a big problem.”
In her speech, while answering questions from former Fox News anchor Gretchen Carlson, Whitmer got caught up in a political needle and tried to avoid direct criticism of Trump or his administration.
She included encouraging Michigan meetings with the Vice President and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegses, even as she warned that administration policies could cause economic collapse.
Whitmer described Trump's approach to tariffs as unstable, unpredictable and damaging to businesses that rely on economic stability and steady governance. (Hours after she spoke, Trump ruled out China, but announced a 90-day suspension of mutual tariffs.)
“There are days when negotiations are possible. She spoke about the president's tariffs. “This is this rate, or this rate. And if you think that a company or country is paying that tariff, you're misunderstood. It's the consumer who ultimately pays the costs, and that's really, it's the tax.”
Trump and Whitmer have political history. In 2020, he dismissed her as “a woman from Michigan” amid a controversy over his initial reaction to the coronavirus pandemic. She then embraces Sobriquet and uses it during her political commodities and speeches.
Trump carried Michigan last year and won a cautious alliance in his tariff efforts at Sean Fain, president of the powerful United Auto Worker Union, a key political figure in Michigan.
More than dozens of times during her 31-minute speech on Wednesday, Whitmer called out elected officials from the other side to describe herself or her policy proposals as bipartisan or to work together to encourage more manufacturing.
“There's far more common ground here than we think,” she said. “Powered by opportunistic politicians, cynical media figures, and addictive algorithms, partisanship infects every aspect of our lives, but our people are not as separate as our politics.”
She highlighted the area she agreed to with Trump and said she would come to Washington with the Republican Speaker of the Michigan House to meet with top Republicans in Congress and White House officials.
Whitmer's measured tone, unlike her next year, stood out as another top Democrat, including the governor facing reelection, so he warns not only of Trump's tariffs, but of the president herself.
When Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro gave a speech last week in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, he was more directly in denouncement of the economic pain caused by tariffs on Trump.
“I don't know why the US president wants to do this to our small businesses or hurt our main streets,” Shapiro said. “This tariff war he's starting, this button he's pushing will have one effect. The effect is to raise costs for consumers and businesses in Pennsylvania.”
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker attempted to label the tariffs “Trump's tax on working families.”
Minnesota Gov. Tim Waltz said when he appeared on MSNBC that Trump was directly responsible for damaging the US economy.
“I think the biggest myth in this country is perpetuating Donald Trump's understanding of everything about business,” Walz said. “He's bankrupting everything he's crazy about, and now he's bankrupting this country.”
Democrats have shown new energy in recent weeks. The party and its liberal allies won a $100 million contest last week in a vital seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, and held its first mass street protest against the Trump administration over the weekend, showing strength in special elections.
At the same time, the party has presented a growth consensus that going its best path is not about arguing that Bill Clinton-esque harvesting the best ideas from both parties, but for fierce opposition to a class of billionaires newly empowered by Trump.
It appears Whitmer is taking a different approach. She warned that elected officials would not go anywhere if they tried to collect their rage without a long-term plan.
“We're not only focused on keeping our anger at each other, we're hoping to find out where we want to go,” Whitmer said. “That's what I'm talking about here.”
