Gov. Whitmer delivers 'major speech' in DC, to meet again with Trump
- Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer gave a speech in Washington, D.C., defending targeted tariffs and a long-term strategy to boost American manufacturing.
- While acknowledging the negative impact of tariffs on consumer prices, Whitmer agrees with Trump on the need to increase domestic manufacturing.
- Whitmer's speech, "Build, America, Build," emphasizes bipartisan cooperation to strengthen national security and bring supply chains back to the U.S.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is set to deliver what her office is calling a major speech in the nation's capital on Wednesday morning, discussing the need for targeted tariffs that allow for consumer costs to be reduced while also embracing a long-term strategy to boost manufacturing and national defense.
"People are struggling after years of inflation and wages that just won’t keep up," Whitmer, a popular two-term Democratic governor who has been mentioned as a possible candidate for president in 2028, is expected to say according to excerpts from the speech provided to the Free Press Tuesday evening. "They want a government focused on lowering the cost-of-living.
"Instead, what they’re getting is the opposite," the excerpts continued. "Less money in their pockets and more doubts about their future paychecks. Critical government services getting defunded as they’re needed most."
Watch replay: Gov. Gretchen Whitmer speech in DC
Whitmer also is expected to meet with Republican President Donald Trump at the White House on Wednesday. They met last month to discuss tariffs, then proposed by Trump, which have since gone into effect, including a 25% tariff on imported autos and auto parts, and so-called reciprocal tariffs on imported goods worldwide.
Economists generally agree that tariffs — especially those as broad as the ones enacted by Trump — will push consumer prices higher and could trigger a recession, with Michigan being particularly vulnerable to anything that drives up automobile costs or slows production, both of which are expected to happen due to Trump's tariffs. The president has argued that his tariff plans will result in more manufacturing and jobs being brought back into the U.S. while raising revenue to help pay to extend tax cuts.
Trump's administration also has led an effort to cut funding to many agencies and departments, while also advocating for thousands of federal workers to be let go.
Whitmer campaigned last year for Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, but since the election has said she would work with Trump to find common ground to improve circumstances for Michiganders with two years left in her final term as governor.
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She had been scheduled to give the speech, titled "Build, America, Build," last week in Washington, but it was rescheduled due to damaging ice storms in northern Michigan. Following the speech at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday at offices near the White House, Whitmer is set to discuss its themes with former Fox News anchor Gretchen Carlson, who is co-founder of the group Lift Our Voices, which advocates on workplace issues, including the elimination of forced arbitration and nondisclosure agreements in cases of sexual misconduct.
Whitmer is expected in her speech to talk about working with both political parties in order to improve national security and expand the country's manufacturing base, as well as her vision for bringing supply chains into the U.S. from China, creating better-paying jobs and investing in the U.S. defense industry.
"I understand the motivation behind the tariffs, and here’s where President Trump and I do agree: We do need to make more stuff in America; more cars and (semiconductor) chips, more steel and ships. We do need fair trade," Whitmer is expected to say, according to the excerpts. "No state has lived through the consequences of offshoring and outsourcing more than Michigan. We know losing a factory doesn’t just mean losing jobs. Losing people means losing resources. It means fewer police officers and underfunded schools. It means less housing built and fewer roads fixed. It’s a loss of purpose and identity."
"The bottom line (is) when America innovates and when America builds, America wins," the excerpts said. "Nobody wants that more than Michiganders, who pride ourselves on the things we make and grow. As I’ve laid out, we need a consistent national strategy united around the new economic consensus that a lot of Democrats and Republicans now share. Let’s make stuff in America. If that’s what we believe, let’s celebrate good policy, whoever it comes from, and point out bad policy, wherever it comes from."
Contact Todd Spangler: tspangler@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter@tsspangler