Harrison Township, Michigan (AP) – came for the first time their very analyzed oval office moment. Then their embrace subject to interpretation.
The two interactions between President Donald Trump and an antagonist sometimes, the governor of Michigan, Gretchen Whitmer, reflect the efforts of the Democratic governor to pass beyond the difficult campaign of last year and find common ground with the Republican President – in danger of political reaction.
Whitmer, a potential presidential candidate in 2028, shared a hug with Trump when he arrived in his country of origin on Tuesday, less than a month after protecting his face from the cameras during an oval office appearance alongside Trump.
It is typical of a governor or another high -ranking official in the state to salute the president when he leaves the Air Force One in their state, a tradition which has historically transcended the partisanary.
But the embrace between Trump and Whitmer was notable at a time when the Americans are saying more and more that Trump’s priorities are disabled and the Democrats are agitating so that their leaders adopt a more conflictual approach to the president.
Trump was in Michigan to mark his 100th day of power during an evening rally and a previous announcement with Whitmer of a new jet hunting mission in a database of the National Guard outside Detroit. The new base jets will protect a major economic engine for the region for the years to come and represent a big victory for Whitmer. The governor credited his oval office meeting with Trump for obtaining the future of the base.
“My job is to do the right thing for the inhabitants of Michigan,” she told the Associated Press on Tuesday after his appearance with Trump. “I don’t think about anything beyond that, and I know it is difficult for people to make their heads.”
Asked about his hug with Trump, Whitmer chose to describe the meeting differently.
She said Trump had praised him first when he got out of the plane, and he “hugged his hand and he looked to tell me, you know, congratulations and that I was a great reason for which we were making an announcement today, and I was grateful.”
She said that working with him on certain questions does not prevent him from criticizing him on others, adding that she was clear with Trump that her prices damaged her condition.
“I had to be there because it was an important and important thing for the state of Michigan,” she said. “Now he’s going to go to the rally and say a lot of things with which I do not agree, that I am going to fight, and that’s good, but, you know, my job is to do everything I can for the inhabitants of Michigan.”
Earlier this month, Whitmer was held in the oval office while Trump signed decrees and assaulted his political opponents, shortly after having delivered a nearby speech which offered him a sweet criticism but stressed the shared priorities. Later, the New York Times published a photo showing it using files to protect your face from cameras in the oval office.
Whitmer’s office later said in a statement that it was “surprised” that it was brought into the room and that “its presence is not an approval of the actions taken or declarations made at this event”.
The Trump-Whitmer Embrace spoke of a infamous greeting more than a decade ago between Chris Christie, then a republican governor of New Jersey, and Barack Obama, the Democratic President. A few weeks before the 2012 elections, Christie and Obama both requesting a re -election, the president arrived in New Jersey in the aftermath of the devastating storm Sandy. Obama placed his hand on Christie’s shoulder, but angry Republicans labeled her as a “hug” and suggested that this contributed to the loss of the Mitt Romney Republican against Obama.
This also reflects the challenge for Democratic governors who seek to record their disapproval of Trump and his policies without angry a determined president for the remuneration against his criticisms or to deactivate the sweet Trump voters they may need in the next elections.
California Governor Gavin Newsom, who also gained warmth on the left who considers him excessively accommodating Trump and his policies, praised the president when he landed in Los Angeles to visit the damage caused by forest fires during his first week in power. At the time, Newsom urgently sought federal funding for disasters and sought to dissuade Trump from following his threats from extracting California concessions in exchange for financial aid.
Cooper reported to Phoenix.