Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat who drew criticism for meeting with President Donald Trump earlier this week, is being accused of hiding from cameras during the visit, after a photo showing her covering her face with folders in the Oval Office has garnered millions of views on social media.
Newsweek has reached out to Governor Whitmer’s press team for comment via email on Sunday.
Why It Matters
Whitmer, who serves the auto heavy state of Michigan, has faced backlash over her Wednesday visit with the president. She said her appearance was not an “endorsement” of Trump and she was surprised to be brought into his office.
She also said she understood some of “the motivation” behind the president’s tariff agenda, and is “not against tariffs outright,” which some supporters have taken issue with.
Tariffs, particularly on car parts, are expected to heavily impact the Great Lake State, which is home to nearly 19 percent of all U.S. auto production, with major automakers General Motors, Ford, and Stellantis stationed there.
Whitmer is considered a potential Democratic candidate for president in 2028. Her decision to work across the aisle with Trump could alienate some Democratic voters or broaden her appeal ahead of a possible White House bid. Her bipartisan visit comes amid divisions within the Democratic Party over key political issues, leadership, and how to counter Trump’s influence.
AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein
What To Know
A New York Times photo, taken by Eric Lee, shows the governor shielding her face with blue folders in the Oval Office, appearing to avoid the press corps. The image has circulated widely on social media, with many Democrats criticizing her for the gesture as well as the meeting.
A social media post by Zach Gorchow, president of Gongwer News Service Michigan, featuring the photo has currently garnered more than 4.7 million views. The official Times photo caption states that Whitmer “temporarily shielded herself from the cameras.”
Other accounts have shared similar posts, with some like editor Libby Emmons, getting hundreds of thousands of views.
Whitmer said in a statement Wednesday that she was brought into the Oval Office “without any notice,” stating that her presence there was not an “endorsement of the actions taken or statements” made at that event.
The Democratic governor was in the Oval Office when Trump signed executive orders targeting a law firm that represented Dominion Voting Systems in its $787 million defamation lawsuit against Fox News over false claims about the 2020 election. He also ordered the Department of Justice (DOJ) to investigate two officials from his first administration who later became vocal critics of him.
Trump offered rare praise for a Democrat at the Oval Office, telling reporters that Whitmer is doing an “excellent job” as governor.
Whitmer has defended her meeting with Trump, saying on Friday: “Public service is about putting the people of Michigan before my own interest.”
Her meeting with Trump in Washington D.C. came just after she gave a “Build, America, Build” speech, in which she noted tariffs as a potential tool, saying: “I’m not against tariffs outright, but they are a blunt tool. You can’t just pull out the tariff hammer to swing at every problem without a clearly defined end-goal.”
She also backed Trump’s promotion of American manufacturing and production in her speech.
The president and Whitmer have met several times since Trump’s inauguration, but their recent closer ties mark a sharp contrast to their earlier relationship.
In 2020, Whitmer called out Trump over an extremist plot in which a group of men planned to kidnap her from her vacation home ahead of the November presidential election. Prosecutors argue the men wanted to try the governor for “treason” over COVID-19 lockdown measures. The FBI thwarted the plot, leading to multiple arrests and federal convictions.
“Every time the president ramps up his violent rhetoric, every time he fires up Twitter to launch another broadside against me, my family and I see a surge of vicious attacks sent our way,” Whitmer wrote in a 2020 opinion article in The Atlantic.
In that article she called out Trump for creating a “deeper divide in our country,” refusing to “denounce white supremacists,” and launching “cruel, adolescent attacks on women.”
What People Are Saying
Neera Tanden, the chief executive of the liberal think tank Center for American Progress, told The New York Times this week: “Democrats from the center to the left believe Trump is an autocrat who represents an existential threat to democracy and our rights. They expect their leaders to meet the moment by fighting his dictatorial attacks, not placate, negotiate or assuage because doing so makes him stronger and bully others more.”
Libby Emmons, editor-in-chief of The Post Millennial, wrote in an X, formerly Twitter, post Friday: “Gretchen Whitmer hides her face rather than be seen in the president’s office.”
The official account page of Michigan’s Senate Republicans shared the photo of Whitmer on X Saturday, with the caption: “When Michiganders ask why their roads and schools are failing.”
Mike Cox, former Republican Michigan attorney general, said in an X post: “Is @GovWhitmer hiding from the press here? Or still hiding from the people of Michigan?”
Dana Nessel, Michigan’s Democratic attorney general said in an X post on Thursday: “Why I refuse to normalize this president: Appeasement is not workable strategy with a fascist.”
Democratic state Representative Betsy Coffia wrote in an X post: “British leader Neville chamberlain tried to placate and appease Hitler. He got played. There are lessons here. Appeasement and a** kissing bullies and dictators is not a smart strategy. They will simply humiliate and laugh at you.”
What Happens Next?
Whitmer is term-limited and will leave office in January 2027. She has not launched a 2028 presidential bid.
