Gov. Whitmer Meeting With Trump Draws Ire From Fellow Democrats

WASHINGTON D.C., April 10, 2025 ~ A surprise and relatively cordial public meeting between Republican President Donald Trump and Democrat Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has drawn ire from her fellow Democrats.

The two leaders, who have a history of criticizing each other, met during a White House executive order signing event, where Trump said she’s done an “excellent job” as governor and is a “good person.” While she was critical of the scale of his now-paused global tariffs that threatened an economic recession, Whitmer said she understood Trump’s “motivation” for implementing them. Democrats were surprised by her lack of criticism, with liberals and progressives slamming Trump over his recent policies on tariffs and harsh crackdowns on immigrants, including pro-Palestinian advocates with legal immigration statuses.