(The Center Square) – For the second time in a month, Michigan Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer was scheduled to meet with second-term Republican President Donald Trump on Wednesday as the state continues to confront tariff and manufacturing issues.
Before that meeting, Whitmer delivered a speech near the White House to lay out her long-term ideas to grow American manufacturing and build national defense.
Earlier this year, Whitmer was a vocal critic of Trump’s tariff plans but has been relatively silent since broad taxes on goods entering the country were enacted last week.
In her speech, she pushed for targeted tariffs rather than the broad measures Trump introduced last week, which sent world financial markets diving.
She called the tariffs the largest tax increase in 60 years, costing families an average of $1,900 a year and damaging 401(k)s and IRAs, forcing delayed retirements.
“We’re already seeing the impacts,” Whitmer said. “Auto companies are stockpiling parts and laying off workers. Suppliers are facing higher costs and delaying expansions. Dealerships will be forced to raise prices by up to $15,000 amid slowing sales. And since every auto job supports three others in the community, the impact will be felt by countless small businesses across Michigan, too.”
However, she does agree with Trump on increasing American manufacturing of ships, steel, cars and chips, and said America needs fair trade.
“No state has lived through the consequences of offshoring and outsourcing more than Michigan,” Whitmer said. “We know losing a factory doesn’t just mean losing jobs. Losing people means losing resources. It means fewer police officers and underfunded schools. It means less housing built and fewer roads fixed. It’s a loss of purpose and identity.
“So, while I share the president’s goal of bringing good-paying, middle-class manufacturing jobs back home, it’s got to be done right.”
Whitmer’s plan involves carving out the auto and energy industries and placing tariffs on technology officials want to produce in the United States. She also proposed investing new revenue created by tariffs into American businesses and workers.
“As I’ve said before, I’m not against tariffs outright, but they are a blunt tool,” Whitmer said. “You can’t just bust out the tariff hammer to swing at every problem without a clearly defined end goal. We also cannot underestimate or underappreciate the time and capital it will take to actually bring jobs and supply chains back home. There’s no shortcut here. Strategic reindustrialization must be a bipartisan project that spans multiple presidential administrations.”
