Headline Roundup • April 10th, 2025
Trump, Michigan Gov. Whitmer Find Common Ground on Tariffs
Summary from the AllSides News Team
President Donald Trump and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI) found common ground on tariffs at White House meeting on Wednesday.
Key Details: Trump praised Whitmer's leadership, just hours after Whitmer called tariffs a "blunt tool" necessary to bring back manufacturing to the U.S. Whitmer has faced criticism from some Democrats for the White House visit, but said her appearance was not an "endorsement" of Trump.
Key Quotes: “We’re honored to have Gretchen Whitmer from Michigan, the great State of Michigan, and she’s been, she’s really done an excellent job, a very good person,” Trump said. Whitmer said, “I came to D.C. because I really believe in our ability to bridge political divides and make lasting progress." She also added, If you're not at the table, you're on the menu."
For Context: Whitmer has become one of the key Democratic contenders to run for president in 2028. She has now had two sit-down conversations with Trump since the start of his second term. During his first term, Trump called Whitmer "inept" for her response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
How the Media Covered It: NBC News (Lean Left bias) reported that a number of Democratic operatives feel Whitmer "got played" and was "used as a bipartisan Oval Office prop." Just the News (Lean Right bias) noted that Whitmer was a vocal critic of Trump's tariff plans, though she has been somewhat quiet on the issue since retaliatory tariffs were enacted last week.
Written by the AllSides staff (of humans). Learn more. Suggest an improvement to this summary.
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Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer said her appearance at the Oval Office was not an "endorsement" of President Donald Trump, as the Democrat has faced backlash for her latest White House visit.
Whitmer appeared alongside Trump on Wednesday after delivering a speech in which she said she understood some of "the motivation" behind the president's now largely paused global tariff plans.
Newsweek has contacted Whitmer's office for comment via email.
Whitmer is considered a potential Democratic candidate for president in 2028. Her decision to work across the aisle with Trump could alienate some Democratic voters, or broaden...
President Donald Trump praised Gretchen Whitmer in a White House meeting on Wednesday, echoing a bipartisan message the Michigan governor delivered during an earlier speech in Washington, D.C.
The meeting was Whitmer’s second sit-down with the president since he took office. She raised the ongoing ice storm in northern Michigan, investments in the Selfridge Air National Guard Base outside of Detroit, invasive fish in the Great Lakes and the hottest topic of the day — tariffs — according to a spokesperson for the governor.
Trump spoke positively of Whitmer’s leadership,...
For the second time in a month, Michigan Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer was scheduled to meet with second-term Republican President Donald Trump on Wednesday as the state continues to confront tariff and manufacturing issues.
Before that meeting, Whitmer delivered a speech near the White House to lay out her long-term ideas to grow American manufacturing and build national defense.
Earlier this year, Whitmer was a vocal critic of Trump’s tariff plans but has been relatively silent since broad taxes on goods entering the country were enacted last week.
In her...
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