Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, A Potential 2028 Candidate, Wants To Find Common Ground With Trump

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer wants a fresh start with President-elect Donald Trump but also warns that she won't back down over tariffs that she believes would hurt the auto industry in her state.

The second-term governor will give her first major speech Wednesday since Trump's victory over Vice President Kamala Harris, for whom Whitmer campaigned across the Midwest. Her remarks at the Detroit Auto Show will be watched in Michigan, where she has two years left in her final term, and by people looking for new leadership within the national Democratic Party.

Whitmer faces a more challenging political landscape than other rising Democrats who could run for president in 2028. She must navigate a divided state legislature while solidifying her legacy in a state that went for Trump in two of the last three elections.

In advance excerpts provided to The Associated Press, Whitmer plans to call both on "friends" in the GOP and "fellow Democrats" to compromise. She says she wants to work with Trump but also is reaching out to officials in neighboring Canada, which the president-elect has accused of cheating the U.S. on trade and has suggested should become part of America.

"There's been a lot of talk about tariffs. I'm not opposed to tariffs outright, but we can't treat them like a 'one size fits all' solution. And we certainly shouldn't use them to punish our closest trading partners," Whitmer plans to say.