The ladies on The View, which for those of you who don’t know is a left-wing political talk show on ABC, have a theory, and like all of their theories it is nuts; it goes like this President Donald Trump brought Democratic Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer to the White House for a meeting on Wednesday, then, Trump praised her, saying that she was a “very good person” who has done an “excellent job”, all, get this, for the purpose of sinking her chances for the Democratic Presidential nomination in 2028. He knew a nice word from him would hurt her.
Panelist Sunny Hostin, claimed that he “used and played her”, saying “he tricked her, he is a trickster and fraudster.” The reference to fraud centers on the fact that Whitmer ended up in the Oval Office with the room full of reporters while Trump signed several executive orders. I guess she was under the impression that she would see Trump without the press around for just a single private meeting, she had no idea that she would also be there for a photo op and press event. Her office in a statement said, “The governor was brought into the Oval Office in front of the press without any notice.” I think Democrats are upset that she didn’t just walk out. In a bit of damage control Whitmer told reporters, “It was not where I wanted to be or planned to be or would have liked to have been.” This statement could be used by someone caught attending an underaged drinking party.
Actually, I think the reason Trump wanted Governor Whitmer and Michigan House of Representative Speaker Matt Hall a Republican at the Press conference was because he wanted, on national television, to mention the issues in Michigan that they are dealing with, specifically Lake Michigan and the threat posed by a fish, an asian carp, which is causing problems for other fish. The carp problem is so severe that it threatens the lake, and it is possible that the carp could spread to the other great lakes. Trump seemed genuinely interested in the issue and the carp, he enjoyed talking about them, and what the Army Corps of Engineers could do about stopping them from spreading.
So, the whole idea that he wanted to embarrass her at a nationally televised press event or to politically kneecap her is false but allow me to entertain the left’s theory for a second, while it’s true that Trump praising a Democrat does that person no good, it also doesn’t sink their chances at getting nominated in the future. Secondly, I think the theory is incredibly flattering towards Whitmer, that is it assumes that Donald Trump thinks she has a shot at getting elected President of the United States. Not sure why he would think that. I really don’t see a great candidate in her, and anyway, he can’t run again, so he would have no need to politically kneecap her to keep his job. And most importantly there is a lot going on in the world today, war in Europe, trade imbalances, the economy and a potential recession, would Trump really have time to think about the political future and potential threat of a Gretchen Whitmer presidency. And to conclude that he needed to find a way to finish her off politically, and that the way to do it is not to call her a “terrible governor” like he did last year, but to say that she is a “very good person” who has done an “excellent job”.
This reminds me, when I was growing up in the 1980’s Republicans started to worry about a certain Democratic Governor of Arkansas, Bill Clinton. They wanted to take him out politically, so they got a Democrat member of Congress Tommy Robinson to switch and become a Republican. It was thought that he could neutralize Clinton, maybe run against him for Governor, which he did, but he ended up losing the Republican Party nomination. Do Republicans think that Whitmer is a threat politically. I doubt it.
Governor Whitmer issued a statement on Wednesday on her reason for coming to Washington:
“At the White House today, Governor Whitmer had a meeting with Speaker Hall and President Trump to discuss the northern Michigan ice storm, investing in Michigan’s defense assets, like Selfridge Air National Guard Base, tariffs and the importance of creating good-paying American jobs and bringing back critical supply chains, and keeping our Great Lakes clean and safe.”
I watched the press conference, and I think Trump was downright sweet to Whitmer. He called her Gretchen twice, praised her and defended her. I should point out that with Governor Whitmer in the Oval Office was Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall. Hall stayed inside the camera shot, and Whitmer did not, she stood about two steps from the door. It was like we were back in the covid days, and she was social distancing, of course she was trying to stay out of camera shot, and she may have even considered sneaking out. Hostin correctly noticed that Whitmer, “looked uncomfortable”, which was obvious, and it made her look bad. Whitmer looked like a nervous kid, like a kid who just arrived at a family get-together and is anticipating having to sit on her creepy uncle Joe’s lap. Her obvious discomfort in the Oval Office is not a good look for someone who wants to occupy the office someday.
Trump, sitting behind his desk talked to the two of them about Michigan, Hall did most of the talking and naturally heaped praise on Trump for his help and complained that the Obama and Biden administrations, (I think they were one and the same) had done little to help, however, Trump cut him off and defended Whitmer, adding, “The Governor called me about this in all fairness, so it is bipartisan.”
It was not a good week in Washington for Whitmer, she gave a speech on that same Wednesday, which was supposed to be her big maiden Washington address. In the speech she laid out her views on trade and manufacturing, in which she called for a “consistent national strategy” for bringing manufacturing back to the United States. I think the text of the speech was fine, but her delivery, which was stilted and low energy, left a lot to be desired. It seems she didn’t have a teleprompter. she read the speech, from her notes, perhaps a teleprompter would have made a difference. It’s early, but I don’t think a potential 2028 Republican opponent, say J.D. Vance or Glenn Youngkin is too concerned about running against her. At least they shouldn’t be.
David Shephard is the author of two books. Elections Have Consequences, A Cautionary Tale.
Norton’s Choice: An Inside Politics Exposé: Shephard, David: 9781892538802: Amazon.com: Books
3 comments
Between this and her “offering communion ” to a leftist Podcaster last year, Ms. Whitmer is quickly becoming a sideshow.
In Michigan she is known as Gretchen Witless. She is only Governor due to Detroit and other big blue cities voters.
I mean, that’s where most of the population lives, but go off.