Now and then, President Donald Trump exhibits a kind of magnanimity that must have supernatural origins. How else could one explain the president’s kind words for one of the most grotesque gubernatorial tyrants in American history?
Of course, as one would expect, the tyrant did not return the courtesy.
In a video interview Tuesday with Terrance Friday of WWJ-TV, Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, among the worst of the COVID-era tyrants, bashed Trump’s first 100 days in office as “scary” and “dangerous,” despite the fact that the president, at an event earlier in the day, had graciously thanked the governor for her work on one issue where the two have found common purpose. Trump even invited her to the podium to deliver a few remarks.
“Well, Terrance, there’s a lot there,” Whitmer said of Trump and his visit to her state. “And there’s a lot of stuff that’s happened in the last 100 days that is really scary, really concerning, and downright dangerous.”
Trump, however, did help secure new defense-related initiatives that will help Michigan. For that reason, Whitmer appeared at the White House earlier this month. Then, according to the Los Angeles Times, she tried to distance herself from the president again.
Whitmer followed the same pattern during her interview with Friday.
“I will say that his first stop today, though, in Michigan,” she added, “was at Selfridge Air National Guard Base, and that’s where I joined him, because I’ve been working for years to try to get a new fighter mission at Selfridge. The A-10 is being retired, and we have a compelling case to make, but we were really, until recently, having difficulty trying to get the federal government to make the investment. So today’s announcement of 21 F-15EXes is a huge deal.”
Readers may watch the entire interview below. The relevant segment began at the :13 mark.
In short, Whitmer blasted Trump as “scary” and “dangerous.” But he got her something she wanted for her state, so she appeared in public with him.
Do you think Gretchen Whitmer will run for president in 2028?
From her perspective, it seems no more complicated than that.
Earlier in the day, however, the president went above and beyond in thanking Whitmer.
“We worked along with Gretchen and some others,” Trump said from the podium at Selfridge Air National Guard Base. “
“So I want to thank Governor Gretchen Whitmer for bringing it also to our attention very strongly,” the president said at a different point in the same address.
Trump then dismissed those who insisted he should not appear with a Democrat. He also congratulated Whitmer for doing a good job. Presumably, he meant on this particular issue.
Whitmer then spoke briefly. She called the new investment “crucial for the Michigan economy” and for “homeland security.”
Finally, she turned to Trump.
“I’m so, so grateful that this announcement was made today,” she said.
On one hand, of course, Whitmer deserves credit for appearing with Trump. And the moment certainly should strike most viewers as civil, though not exactly inspiring.
On the other hand, Trump showed far more graciousness toward the Democrat than what he received in return. And that might strike readers as a microcosm of conservatives’ broader experience during the Trump Era. We have no problem extending a friendly hand, trying to see the best in those whose ideas we find repellent. They, however, have so often behaved as if ostracizing Trump supporters, even family and lifelong friends, constitutes a moral duty.
As for policy, every state governor and every U.S. representative characterizes defense expenditures in his or her state or district as essential for national security. So Whitmer hardly achieved anything heroic on that front. Nonetheless, the Michiganders who benefit from the air base undoubtedly appreciated her collaboration with the Trump administration.
In short, Whitmer fought for her state and then trashed Trump. Fine. She remains a hypocritical and unrepentant COVID tyrant.
“When I took my oath of office, I took it very seriously,” the governor told Friday. “It meant sustaining threats during a pandemic when I thought I was doing the right thing to keep people safe.”
For her behavior during the COVID madness — and she has company here — Whitmer belongs in prison.
In the meantime, however, she could barely bring herself to reciprocate after Trump saw fit to thank her for her help. He has more grace than I would have in his position.
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