Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI) on Tuesday convened again with President Donald Trump in Washington, D.C., cementing a bipartisan approach to the White House that sets her apart from her Democratic colleagues. 

Whitmer has met with Trump multiple times since he took office in January, including in an April encounter that went viral when the governor shielded her face from the press cameras with a folder, later saying she was unexpectedly ushered into the Oval Office as the president signed executive orders “that I did not agree with.” 

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Still, while Whitmer has expressed concern about elements of the president’s policies, she has refrained from the fiery anti-Trump resistance agenda favored by many in the Democratic Party, choosing instead to foster a relationship with the White House so she can lobby for Michigan on manufacturing jobs, healthcare, and more, through an approach she said this week has paid off in dividends. 

“I’ve always said that I’ll work with anyone to get things done for Michigan,” she said in a statement following her latest meeting with Trump. “That’s why I’ve continued to go to Washington, D.C. to make sure that Michiganders are front and center when critical decisions are being made.

While other state Democratic leaders, such as Gov. JB Pritzker (D-IL), huddle for talks to thwart Trump’s GOP, Whitmer embraced the opportunity to work with the president in the nation’s capital, heralding a softer style that she credited with leading to wins for Michigan. 

“This year alone, we’ve secured major,  bipartisan wins including a new fighter mission at Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Macomb County, funding to protect our Great Lakes from invasive carp, and federal disaster support for communities in Northern Michigan impacted by historic ice storms,” Whitmer said. “I will always do whatever I can to make life a little easier for Michiganders and strengthen our economy. We should do everything in our power to lower costs and grow more good-paying jobs in Michigan. I appreciate the president’s time and attention to the matters we discussed.”

Whitmer’s outreach to Trump has earned praise from the president, who called her a “very good person” who has done an “excellent job,” in April, even as he labeled foes like Pritzker as “probably the dumbest of all governors.” 

When questioned on Trump’s agreement to meet with Whitmer, a White House official told the Washington Examiner it’s “no surprise” that the president has a continued interest in Michigan, given his electoral success in the state during the 2024 election when he flipped the Democratic governor’s home turf red. 

Whitmer lobbied Trump on a number of items during the meeting on Tuesday, including highlighting possible areas for increases in domestic manufacturing. Flint and Genesee County, the home of General Motors, were named as areas ripe for new investments, according to Scripps News. Whitmer asked the president to help her develop an advanced manufacturing site to create auto jobs after Michigan failed to win a $63 billion semiconductor chip factory in the area. 

She also raised fears that the “big, beautiful” tax cuts bill, which Trump signed into law last month, would disrupt medical care for Michigan residents covered by Medicaid. The governor requested a three-year transition period for changes to the state’s Medicaid program to develop a “new, federally compliant structure” that limits the disruption in care for around 2.6 million Michiganders, according to the Michigan Advance. 

Whitmer additionally told the president she was concerned about the effect of tariffs on the state’s auto industry. She expressed particular unease about tariffs levied on goods from Canada and Mexico that she said could cause major problems for the car manufacturing sector, as the governor’s office noted that over 9% of the state’s GDP comes from auto manufacturing.

Whitmer also updated Trump on “ongoing recovery efforts following the ice storm in Northern Michigan this year.”

Trump announced last month that he told Whitmer the White House had approved $50 million in federal funds for Michigan to support repairs and recovery from the devastating ice storm that occurred in March. 

It’s not the only support the president has funneled to the Great Lakes State. 

In April, Trump traveled to Michigan, where he exchanged a hug with Whitmer as he announced that a fleet of new F-15EX Eagle II fighter jets would be based at Selfridge Air National Guard Base, which she has long sought to save from closure.

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The two had another friendly encounter in February, when they sat next to each other during the National Governors Association dinner. 

Whitmer said that, following the dinner, Trump had called her and invited her to meet at the White House. According to the Detroit Free Press, the pair discussed plans at the dinner to convene in private at a later date, with the proposal coming to fruition with the April meeting.