Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer met with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office last week for a discussion on tariffs and environmental policy in the Great Lakes region.
But while the meeting addressed serious economic matters, it was Whitmer’s unusual behavior during a press availability that drew the most attention.
The April 2025 meeting marked the second time in less than a month that Whitmer has met with President Trump.
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Michigan has been central to the president’s domestic economic agenda, particularly his efforts to rebuild the American auto industry through tariffs on foreign vehicles.
Labor unions, including the United Auto Workers (UAW), have endorsed the president’s tariff strategy, even after previously supporting Joe Biden.
Governor Whitmer broke from many in her party by expressing support for elements of Trump’s trade policy.
“I understand the motivation behind the tariffs,” Whitmer said during the meeting.
“And I can tell you, here’s where President Trump and I do agree—we do need to make more stuff in America. More cars and chips. More steel and ships. We do need fair trade.”
🚨 Governor Gretchen Whitmer (D): “Here’s where president Trump and I do agree, we do need to make more stuff in America. More cars and chips. More steel and ships. We do need fair trade.”
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) April 10, 2025
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President Trump responded with surprising praise, telling reporters, “She’s really done an excellent job. Very good person.”
From @KitMaherCNN: Governor Gretchen Whitmer is in the Oval for Trump’s EO signing today
Trump offers effusive praise, saying he’s “honored to have Gretchen Whitmer from Michigan, the great State of Michigan, and she’s been, she’s really done an excellent job, very good person.” pic.twitter.com/CiFF4XsW0B
— DJ Judd (@DJJudd) April 9, 2025
However, what followed created an unexpected viral moment.
During the Oval Office press availability, Whitmer was photographed covering her face with a binder as reporters began taking photos.
Thank you Gretchen Whitmer for hiding your face and showing the world just how fcking immature you are. pic.twitter.com/rKUBTNy1Oo
— Gunther Eagleman™ (@GuntherEagleman) April 13, 2025
The images quickly spread across social media, prompting widespread mockery.
Governor Whitmer – Folders of Invisibility – Animated pic.twitter.com/GJ5mmajvb3
— John Welty (@ApostleJohnW) April 14, 2025
President Trump, noticing the gesture, invited Whitmer to speak to the press.
She lowered the binder and made brief remarks, but the incident sparked online commentary and political backlash.
Later, Whitmer explained that she was caught off guard.
“I thought I was coming into the Oval Office for a one-on-one meeting with the president and was taken by surprise by the media availability period,” she told reporters.
Whitmer’s office later issued a clarifying statement.
“The governor was surprised that she was brought into the Oval Office during President Trump’s press conference without any notice of the subject matter,” a spokesperson said.
“Her presence is not an endorsement of the actions taken or statements made at that event.”
The meeting and its aftermath have drawn criticism from within Whitmer’s own party.
Governor Jared Polis of Colorado, also viewed as a potential 2028 Democratic presidential contender, rebuked Whitmer’s remarks on trade.
“Tariffs are bad outright because they lead to higher prices and destroy American manufacturing,” Polis said.
“Trade is inherently good because both parties emerge better off from a consensual transaction.”
The “tariff hammer” winds up hitting your own hand rather than the nail. 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. While sanctions… https://t.co/ae1WpMbNbH
— Jared Polis (@jaredpolis) April 9, 2025
One unnamed Democratic operative told NBC News the moment was politically damaging. “Just a f**king disaster,” the operative said.
“It feels like it removes some of the momentum she had as a politically savvy swing-state Dem.”
Whitmer and President Trump were at odds frequently during his first term, particularly over pandemic policies.
But her remarks during the Oval Office meeting aligned with the president’s current stance on reshoring American manufacturing and limiting economic dependence on foreign nations.
Though the discussion focused on economic cooperation, the images of Whitmer shielding her face became a symbolic flashpoint in the broader debate over Democratic messaging on trade, manufacturing, and the party’s direction ahead of the 2028 election cycle.
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