LANSING — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is trying to get off on the right foot with President Donald Trump, despite political and personal spats the two have engaged in previously.
“Michiganders elected both me and Donald Trump twice, just two years apart,” Whitmer said last week. “Every one of us swore an oath to the people we serve and the people expect us to find common ground.”
Whitmer says she won’t be giving Washington the cold shoulder once Trump begins to enact his agenda.
“Together, with Republicans and Democrats in Lansing and the new administration in DC, I know we can lower costs, bring more manufacturing back to Michigan, boost research and innovation, and cut red tape,” she said in a statement following Trump’s inauguration. “In 2025, let’s collaborate to solve problems and keep getting things done for the people of Michigan.”
Political analysts say that Whitmer is looking to ensure that the state remains in good graces with a president whose policies are often influenced by personal relationships with others in power.
“The state is really at the mercy of federal rules and money, and even more so than it has been in the past,” said Matt Grossmann, an MSU political science professor. “She sees clear Michigan interests in the transition and in preventing conflict between the state and the federal government.”
Trump spoke at length on the campaign trail about the auto industry and electric vehicles, saying he’d support American manufacturing and repeal pro-EV and pro-renewable government initiatives.
“If those were to be repealed or scaled back dramatically, that would have an effect on Michigan,” Grossmann said. “And so Gov. Whitmer clearly has a stake in keeping trump on her good side, or at least preventing open conflict.”
The issue even made Trump’s inaugural address, where he made a specific shoutout to American auto workers, showing that he likely plans to keep the policies front and center.
Analysts also say Whitmer may be looking to take a center track ahead of her own potential career ambitions, including a possible 2028 campaign.
“You kind of have this dividing line of — how do I kind of think about what primary voters are going to care about in a couple of years, versus how do I get things for the state that I’m actually running,” said Jarrett Skorup, vice president for marketing and communications with the Mackinac Center.