Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer has stirred controversy within the Democratic Party after appearing with President Donald Trump at an event in her state on Tuesday and at the White House earlier this month.
“Her going to the White House … on the heels of an election where she was heavily involved campaigning for the Democratic nominee [against Trump], I think, says a lot about her understanding about her role is to be the governor of all, not just her party,” Democratic county executive in Macomb County Mark Hackel told The Washington Post about Whitmer’s April 9 visit to the Oval Office.
During the event, Trump signed executive orders and answered questions from the press, praising Whitmer for her “excellent job” as governor and calling her a “very good person,” a notable departure from his usual criticism of the Democrat.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a staunch opponent of President Donald Trump, divided members of her party after recent appearances with the president in Michigan and at the White House earlier this month. (Fox News)
Some Democrats, however, were highly critical of Whitmer’s appearances alongside Trump.
“I think the fight-back faction of the Democratic Party is ascendant, and leaders who ignore that risk getting left behind,” co-executive director of Indivisible, Ezra Levin, told the Post.
Trump praised Whitmer during the Tuesday event in Michigan, where he unveiled plans to swap out the retiring A-10 Warthog aircraft based out of Selfridge Air National Guard Base just outside Detroit with 21 brand-new F-15EX Eagle II fighter jets.
“So I want to thank Governor Gretchen Whitmer for bringing it also to our attention very strongly. And, you know, I’m not supposed to do that,” Trump said. “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, frankly. And she’s – she was very much involved with, with the Republicans. They worked together on saving it. And it was not easy. So I want to thank you very much, Gretchen. Good job,” he added.
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer looks on as US President Donald Trump signs an executive order in the Oval Office of the White House on April 9, 2025. (Getty Images)
The day after Whitmer’s Oval Office meeting with Trump, on April 10, Democratic Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel called Trump a “fascist” in a post on social media.
“Why I refuse to normalize this president: Appeasement is not [a] workable strategy with a fascist,” Nessel wrote in a post on X.
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Fox News’ Greg Wehner contributed to this report.