Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer pushes for compromise with Trump, whines red states want to steal auto industry
Democratic Michigan Gov.Gretchen Whitmer pushed for a reset with President-elect Donald Trump Wednesday as she warned of growing competition from Republican-led rivals threatening to “steal” her state’s bedrock auto industry.Whitmer, tipped by many observers as a potential front-runner for the Democratic nomination in 2028, sounded a bipartisan note as she implored her “fellow Democrats” and Republican “friends” to “find common ground” in remarks at the Detroit Auto Show.“In the Whitmer house, compromise was a good thing,” the 53-year-old said.
“I just want to get things done.Things that make a real difference in Michiganders’ lives.”“Michiganders elected both me and Donald Trump twice, just two years apart,” she added.
“The people expect us to find common ground, especially when it comes to lowering costs, creating good-paying manufacturing jobs, boosting research and innovation and cutting red tape.”Whitmer won re-election by double-digits in 2022 and enjoyed a Democratic trifecta in Lansing.However, she could only watch Nov.
5 as Trump won the Wolverine State for the second time in three consecutive White House bids, while Republicans squeaked out a majority in the state House of Representatives.On Wednesday, Whitmer said she needed Republican help in a “serious moment.”“Right now, the future of the entire auto industry is at stake.The very core of Michigan’s economy is on the line,” she claimed.“Michigan is still the number one auto state, but others have gained grounds, especially in the South.
They want to steal this vital industry away from us,” she charged.“These other states are using every tool at their disposal.
Some of them are just writing blank checks to companies.That’s bad policy.”For years, Republican governors have been aggressively courting heavy industry from the Rust Belt, pitching a low-tax, business-friendly environment to encourage companies to set up shop.Tesla boss Elon Musk has ...