Democrat Governor Says She Agrees With Trump On End Goals For Manufacturing

Michigan’s Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer voiced agreement with President Donald Trump over promoting American manufacturing. 

Whitmer delivered a “Build, America, Build” speech in Washington, D.C. before meeting with Trump, calling for bipartisan support for bringing manufacturing back to America. (RELATED: GOP Rep. John James Announces He’s Throwing Hat In Ring To Succeed Gretchen Whitmer)

“Let’s give more hard-working people a fair shot at a decent life. And let’s usher in, as President Trump says, a ‘Golden Age’ of American manufacturing,” Whitmer said, according to NBC News.

This comes a week after Trump announced new reciprocal tariffs on twenty of America’s trading partners in an effort to bring more manufacturing to the U.S. 

Despite her support for American manufacturing, Whitmer criticized the president’s “blunt” use of tariffs, saying they lead to “higher costs, fewer jobs and more uncertainty.”

In a poorly read speech today, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer lamented the Chinese government funding companies to compete with America.

Whitmer has funded a Chinese company with $715 million in taxpayer dollars (to effectively compete with American companies). pic.twitter.com/ALTAiLp5Sd

— The Midwesterner (@Th_Midwesterner) April 9, 2025

“I understand the motivation behind the tariffs, and I can tell you, here’s where President Trump and I do agree. We do need to make more stuff in America — more cars and chips, more steel and ships. We do need fair trade,” the governor said.

She also said, “I’m not against tariffs outright, but it is a blunt tool. You can’t just pull out the tariff hammer to swing at every problem without a clear, defined end-goal,” according to AP news.

Whitmer said she would “work with anyone who’s serious about solving problems” to bring manufacturing to Michigan. 

“Right now, there’s an ongoing, global competition between America, China, and other countries to lead the future of manufacturing,” Whitmer said, according to CBS Detroit. “To make sure we win, we need to work across the aisle at both the state and federal levels to bring supply chains home, secure critical investments, and create thousands more good-paying jobs. That’s what the American people expect of us—and we must deliver.”  

Whitmer’s response to tariffs breaks from her fellow Democratic governors Tim Walz, Gavin Newsom, Kathy Hochul, J.B. Pritzker, Josh Shapiro, and Jared Polis, who have been highly critical of the president’s tariffs. 

Newsom took to X to oppose the reciprocal tariffs and protect California’s economy from the effects of tariffs. 

“I’m pursuing trading relationships with our global partners to combat the pain of Trump’s tariffs and exclude California-made products from retaliation. As the world’s 5th largest economy, California remains open for business — no matter the turbulence in Washington,” Newsom wrote.

I’m pursuing trading relationships with our global partners to combat the pain of Trump’s tariffs and exclude California-made products from retaliation.

As the world’s 5th largest economy, California remains open for business — no matter the turbulence in Washington. pic.twitter.com/c9UtoTvN10

— Governor Newsom (@CAgovernor) April 4, 2025

Polis wrote on X that tariffs are “deeply damaging” and said they would send “the market into a downward spiral, hurting businesses, devastating manufacturing, and damaging our economy, which will lead to more inflation and recession fears.” 

Whitmer has had two meetings with the president in a month. She also met with the president in March to discuss jobs and the effects of tariffs on Michigan, where the auto industry depends on Mexico and Canada for supply chain lines.