Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, a potential Democratic presidential candidate in 2028, was ribbed online to appear to be hiding his face during a meeting with President Donald Trump in his oval office.
According to photos from the New York Times, Whitmer was seen temporarily protecting his face from the oval office camera by holding the folder.
She later lowered the folder as the president spoke to the press and encouraged Whitmer to comment too. The Democratic governor, who clashed with Trump in her first term on her Covid-19 lockdown policy, met with the president, discussed recovery from the ice storm that affected thousands of Michigan, funded Selfridge Air National Guard bases near Detroit, and protected the Great Lakes and the automotive industry.
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Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer will gesture to President Donald Trump in the White House oval office in Washington on Wednesday, April 9, 2025. (Pool via AP)
Joined by Michigan Senator Matt Hall and several cabinet secretaries, Whitmer stood apart from Trump while signing the executive order on Wednesday.
“I’m honored to have Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, the great state of Michigan. And she does a really great job, and she’s a very good person,” Trump said.
Whitmer later told reporters that he thought he was coming to the oval office for a one-on-one meeting with the president and was surprised by the press conference.
Her face shield was ridden online.
“Whitmer covering her face is the perfect parochial for Democrats,” one user wrote.
Another X user said, “Looking behind the White House files, Gretchen Whitmer is one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen. This is my 2 year old.”
Michigan Speaker Matt Hall and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer will speak to President Donald Trump in his oval office on Wednesday, April 9, 2025 (The Washington Post via Javin Botsford/Getty Images)
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“Was this a nail in the co-co of Gretchen Whitmer’s political aspirations?” wrote the third user.
Some users joked that Whitmer was “embarrassing” to take a photo with Trump, but were embarrassed to put Dorito in the mouth of a podcaster on a 2024 social media post where critics said they ocked the sacraments of Christianity.
The photo shows Whitmer hiding her face while standing between Trump’s aide Natalie Harp, and the assistant assistant to the president of the Intergovernmental Secretariat and the White House director.
Meyer shares the photo on X and writes “#newprofilepic.”
Whitmer was in Washington and provided a “Build, America, Build” address that asked for bipartisan cooperation to strengthen American manufacturing. She was in the White House for her second meeting with Trump less than a month, but this time she talked about tariffs that were expected to disproportionately affect Michigan.
In her speech on Wednesday, which came before Trump announced he was suspending tariffs in most countries except China, Whitmer highlighted areas of agreement with Trump on tariffs, but criticised how they were implemented.
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer is turning his eyes as President Donald Trump signs an executive order at the White House’s oval office on April 9, 2025 (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
“I understand the motivation behind tariffs, and here’s where President Trump and I agree. We need to make more in America. I’m not against tariffs, but it’s not a dull tool.
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Whitmer’s approach is in stark contrast to the approach of other well-known Democratic governors, many of which are considered potential candidates for the party’s 2028 presidential nomination. But Whitmer faces a more challenging political landscape than leaders such as Illinois Governor J.B. Pretzker and California Governor Gavin Newsom.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Daniel Wallace is a news and political reporter for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to danielle.wallace@fox.com and to X:@danimwallace.
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